Economics of shortage and non-price control

The main ideas and concepts of Economics of Shortage (by János Kornai) and Non-Price Control (edited by János Kornai and Béla Martos) are summarized. Then the notion of a normal state, and the significance of quantity signals in economic control processes are discussed, along with Kornai's views about the role of prices in economic adjustment, and the nature of the budget constraints that agents face. Finally, the paper explores the relationship between Kornai's analysis and the various types of macroeconomic equilibrium recently discussed by Malinvaud.