Duality and Modern Economics

Dual arguments have become a standard tool for analysis of problems involving optimization by consumers and producers.

Richard Cornes (Author)

9780521336017, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 February 1992

308 pages
23.6 x 15.5 x 2 cm, 0.565 kg

Dual arguments have become a standard tool for analysis of problems involving optimization by consumers and producers. The principal aim of this book is to provide a fairly systematic yet simple exposition of the basic structure of such arguments. The emphasis is not on providing mathematically general proofs; instead, a geometric approach is used to provide, in an informal way, an intuitive understanding of duality theory. This book introduces the most common alternative ways of representing preferences and technologies, such as indirect utility and distance functions, expenditure and cost functions, and profit and revenue functions. and it discusses the assumptions under which alternative formulations contain precisely the same information. Results such as Roy's identity. the Hotelling-Wold identity, and Shephard's lemma are fully explained. as are their roles in facilitating analysis of behaviour.

Part I. Some Background: 1. Some formal preliminaries: An informal treatment
Part II. Modelling Individual Consumer and Producer Behaviour: 2. Individual consumer behaviour: Direct and indirect utility functions
3. Individual consumer behaviour: Expenditure and distance functions
4. Individual consumer behavior: Further useful relationships and formulations
5. Producer behavior
6. Consumer and producer behaviour: More useful topics
7. Consumer theory with many constraints
Part III. Applying the Model of Individual Behaviour: 8. Aggregation analysis
9. Consumer theory and welfare
10. Externalities and public goods.

Subject Areas: Microeconomics [KCC], Economic theory & philosophy [KCA]