A critical realist interpretation of evolutionary growth theorising

The paper discusses a critical realist interpretation of evolutionarygrowth theorising by focusing on some of its basic characteristics.The evolutionary ontology is complex, differentiated, structured,systemic, open, ever-changing and radically uncertain. Its methodologytends to be increasingly based on ‘appreciative’theorising, retroductive explanations and interdisciplinaryanalysis. After discussing these features, the paper suggeststhat critical realism may indeed constitute an important philosophicaland methodological foundation for the future development ofevolutionary theories of economic growth.     

Doing without money: a critical assessment of Woodford's analysis

Woodford employs an inter-temporal general equilibrium modelto examine the properties of the monetary system as it evolvesfrom the use of a physical medium of exchange to an electronicmedium. He presents a structure in which cash as a means ofpayment can be made to vanish at the limit, but where he claimsthe price level remains determinate. It is shown that Woodford'sanalysis involves fundamental but still widespread conceptualand methodological errors. His general equilibrium model doesnot map into the world of electronic money, and his analysishas no implications for the art of central banking.     

From equilibrium to disequilibrium: the genesis of Don Patinkin's interpretation of the Keynesian theory

This paper explains the reasons that led Don Patinkin to interpret the Keynesian theory in a disequilibrium perspective. We claim that the author adopted this position because he believed that the assumption of wage rigidity misrepresented the concept of involuntary unemployment and that, consequently, it had to be rejected. It is shown that this conclusion resulted from the confrontation of Patinkin, during the writing of his Ph.D. thesis, with the interpretations of the Keynesian theory argued respectively by Lange, Klein and Modigliani.     

Cournot equilibrium without apology: Existence and the Cournot inverse demand function

In a multi-commodity framework with absence of wealth effects, we prove the existence of equilibrium for Cournot oligopoly, and that the concept is completely non-ambiguous. We also obtain a uniquely defined endogenous inverse demand function, depending only on the competitive sector.     

General equilibrium with differentiated commodities: the linear activity model without joint production

Summary In this paper the existence of a general equilibrium with differentiated commodities is proved for the classical case of a production set with constant returns, spanned by elementary activities without joint production, and with a finite set of primary factors. This framework allows to proceed without strong assumptions concerning substitution possibilities, which are typical in general equilibrium theory with differentiated commodities, but which at least with respect to production are not adequate to the problem. Moreover, in our model general consumption sets are allowed. Thus true intermediate products are not excluded. Furthermore the possibility of survival without trade is not assumed.I am indebted to E. Dierker, M. Hellwig, K.J. Koch, A. Mas-Colell, M. Nermuth, W. Neudeck, and to an anonymous referee for comments and suggestions. Of course, I am responsible for any shortcomings. Finally, support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through SFB 303 is gratefully acknowledged.     

Sentimental fools: a critique of Amartya Sen’s notion of commitment

Commitment is problematic because one sometimes pursues it against one’s interest. To solve it, the paper proposes a distinction between ‘non-binding’ and ‘binding’ commitments. Non-binding commitment is about ambition, such as becoming a great chef, which bolsters welfare in the pecuniary sense as well as self-respect. In contrast, ‘binding commitment’ is about honesty. While it diminishes welfare, it augments self-integrity. The neoclassical view reduces both commitments to interest, while the multiple-self approach separates both commitments from interest. The separation permits the confusion of sentimental fools, who enter commitments without regard to interest, with rational sentimentalists, who take interest into consideration.     

Marshall on equilibrium and time: a reconstruction

This paper's aim is to offer a reconstruction of the Marshallian conception of equilibrium and time. Its main features are as follows. First, I argue that the hallmark of this conception is to posit an interrelationship between two equilibrium concepts — market-day and normal equilibrium. I claim that they are part and parcel and cannot be analysed separately. Second, my reconstruction gives a central role to the market period. Third, I argue that the so-called short and long-period equilibrium concepts refer to the same unique concept of normal equilibrium. Fourth, I argue that Marshall’s value theory admits the effective existence of disequilibrium states. A Marshallian disequilibrium refers to cases where market-day and normal values fail to coincide, this state of affairs going along, however, with market clearing. I also propose an alternative interpretation of Marshall's corn model wherein perfect information is considered the linchpin of achieving equilibrium. Finally, I argue that my reconstruction avoids a series of interpretative pitfalls.     

Time-varying beta: a boundedly rational equilibrium approach

The conditional CAPM with time-varying betas has been widely used to explain the cross-section of asset returns. However, most of the literature on time-varying beta is motivated by econometric estimation using various latent risk factors rather than explicit modelling of the stochastic behaviour of betas through agents’ behaviour, such as momentum trading. Misspecification of beta risk and the lack of any theoretical guidance on how to specify risk factors based on the representative agent economy appear empirically challenging. In this paper, we set up a dynamic equilibrium model of a financial market with boundedly rational and heterogeneous agents within the mean-variance framework of repeated one-period optimisation and develop an explicit dynamic behaviour CAPM relation between the expected equilibrium returns and time-varying betas. By incorporating the two most commonly used types of investors, fundamentalists and chartists, into the model, we show that there is a systematic change in the market portfolio, risk-return relationships, and time varying betas when investors change their behaviour, such as the chartists acting as momentum traders. In particular, we demonstrate the stochastic nature of time-varying betas. We also show that the commonly used rolling window estimates of time-varying betas may not be consistent with the ex-ante betas implied by the equilibrium model. The results provide a number of insights into an understanding of time-varying beta.     

Collateral equilibrium,I: a basic framework

Much of the lending in modern economies is secured by some form of collateral: residential and commercial mortgages and corporate bonds are familiar examples. This paper builds an extension of general equilibrium theory that incorporates durable goods, collateralized securities, and the possibility of default to argue that the reliance on collateral to secure loans and the particular collateral requirements chosen by the social planner or by the market have a profound impact on prices, allocations, market structure, and the efficiency of market outcomes. These findings provide insights into housing and mortgage markets, including the subprime mortgage market.     

Schumpeter's theory of economic evolution: a Darwinian interpretation

A general Darwinian framework is employed to arrive at an interpretation of Schumpeter's work that brings out clearly its specific evolutionary aspects. Schumpeter's theory of economic evolution is seen to be still highly relevant to evolutionary economics, because it sheds light on some fundamental issues: the relationship between evolutionary theory and equilibrium analysis, the usefulness of Darwinian theory for economics, and the precise nature of the evolutionary forces at work in economic systems.     

Marx's value forms and Hayek's rules: a reinterpretation in the light of the dichotomy between physis and nomos

This paper argues that both Marx and Hayek objected to the dichotomybetween physis and nomos, and offered concepts which integrate,or mediate between, the two. Marx's value forms and Hayek'srules aim to grasp something neither purely natural nor purelyartificial or social, but ‘socially natural’. Valueforms and rules are natural in the sense that they pre-existagents and are taken by agents as given. On the other hand,forms and rules are social in that production relations or spontaneousorder are reproduced as the unintended consequences of agents'using forms or following rules. Thus value forms and rules standas links between agents and production relations or spontaneousorder.     

Limited arbitrage is necessary and sufficient for the existence of a competitive equilibrium with or without short sales

Summary A condition oflimited arbitrage is defined on the endowments and the preferences of the traders in an Arrow-Debreu economy. Theorem 1 establishes thatlimited arbitrage is necessary and sufficient for the existence of a competitive equilibrium in markets with or without short sales. Limited arbitrage bounds utility arbitrages, the diversity of the traders in the economy, and the gains from trade which they can afford from initial endowments (Proposition 2); it is related to but nonetheless different from the no-arbitrage condition used in finance. Theorem 2 establishes that an Arrow — Debreu economy has a competitive equilibrium if and only if every one of its subeconomies withN + 1 traders does, whereN is the number of commodities. Limited arbitrage has been shown elsewhere to be equivalent to the existence of the core [16], to the contractibility of spaces of preferences and to the existence of continuous anonymous social choice rules which respect unanimity [10], [14], [15], [16].This paper was circulated in December 1991 as a Working Paper of the Department of Economics, Columbia University, New York, and presented at seminars at Mathematics, Economics, and Operations Research Departments at Columbia, Harvard, Stanford University of California at Berkeley, University of Bonn and the University of Siena, at an invited presentation at the European Congress of Mathematicians, July 1992, and the Winter Meetings of the Econometric Society in Boston, January 1994. Valuable comments and suggestions from Roko Aliprantis, Masahiko Aoki, Kenneth Arrow, Duncan Foley, Geoffrey Heal, Lionel McKenzie, Paul Milgrom and two anonymous referees, and research support from NSF Grant No. 92-16028 and the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Economics are gratefully acknowledged.     

Rousseau's notion of envy: A comparison with modern economic theory

Abstract

The concept of envy is present both in Rousseau's economic philosophy and in modern economic theory. This paper compares these different uses of the concept and studies the relevance of the definition of envy adopted on each side, taking into account what is at stake when a notion of envy is introduced. It will be shown that Rousseau's envy cannot be expressed by modern conceptions of envy. Nevertheless, it enlightens the debate between the two competing notions of envy present in modern economic theory, revealing that the existence of envy questions the notion of self-interest.     

哈耶克诘难、权威转变与经济成长:中国分权式改革的逻辑

中国的分权式改革一定是做对了什么才产生了我们见到的经济奇迹,那是什么呢?中国的分权式改革从事实上回应了哈耶克诘难,即信息和知识的分散性使得计划体制不可能实现其理想状态。通过经济上放权让利和政治上的集权,调动社会各阶层的能动性,使得权威和信息相匹配,形成了有效的层级分工创新体制,从而实现经济成长。由于分工的深化和经济活动的扩展,经济分权体现出必然性。在这一过程中,每一个分立的个体都凭借个体知识在分工体系中分享收益,因而实现了共享式的发展,从自由的角度看,个体的自由也得到了极大的扩展。如果要释放更多的经济增长潜力,进一步的改革是必需的。     

没有法律的秩序——一个华南民间收债个案的调查与分析

本文通过调查华南地区的一个民间收债个案,描述了一种没有法院的纠纷解决机制.这种非正式机制内含着一种经济逻辑,且行之有效,即在私力救济框架下,债务人存在合作倾向,最终导向没有法律的秩序.就本文考察的民间收债而言,国家与社会达成默示的共谋,国家对私力救济的适"度"政策正是公权力通过私人实现社会控制的一种艺术.     

Loss aversion and social security: a general equilibrium approach

Introducing an intertemporal model of loss aversion, I study the role of social security in determining intergenerational redistribution when consumers have reference-dependent preferences with loss aversion. Using a unified social security model in which different social security plans are specified via different degrees of fundedness, I examine the effect of the transition from a less funded system to a more funded one on savings, consumption, and capital accumulation for an OLG production economy. A general equilibrium analysis shows that the direction of intertemporal equilibrium is dependent on how the total savings responds to the interest rate change, but the effect of the payroll tax on capital accumulation is ambiguous. By deriving closed-form solutions, I find that an increase in fundedness intensity unambiguously increases capital accumulation in steady states, while the tax effects on consumption and savings are not conclusive. Moreover, simulation exercises show that when consumers are prone to over-consume because they care more about the contemporaneous gain utility, the fully funded system may help the individuals smooth out their lifecycle consumption.