Synopses & Reviews
These two lectures explore how time is modeled in theoretical analyses of individual industries and of the entire economy. The atemporal Marshallian model is contrasted with an explicit time model with uncertainty about costs at the firm level. The book also examines data on job creation and job destruction; price setting behavior in monopolistic competition and costly search models; data on price changes; and both cyclical and seasonal data on the entire economy. With a focus on the command over purchasing power, the Arrow-Debreu and Hicksian ISLM models are compared with a number of explicit time models.
Synopsis
In these two lectures Peter Diamond explores how time is modelled in theoretical analyses of individual industries and of an entire economy. In the first lecture he considers equilibrium in a single market by examining the distinction between the short run and the long run in Marshallian analysis. He proposes an explicit modelling of time in place of Marshall's use of different atemporal models for different time frames. In the second lecture he turns to models of an entire economy, and begins by considering how and why models of an entire economy should differ from models of a single industry. Both cyclical and seasonal data on the behaviour of macro-economies are examined. Professor Diamond ends by indicating a direction for future research that might yield a more integrated economics.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-115) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Preface; Lecture I. Modelling an Industry: 1. Short run and long run; 2. Pricing; Lecture II. Modelling an Economy: 3. Short run and long run; 4. Money, income and credit; References; Index.