The Economic Theory of Structure and Change

This volume, first published in 1991, represents a wide-ranging inquiry into the general field of structural economic analysis and provides a thorough appraisal of the method of economic dynamics. It comprises nine original essays by distinguished scholars, all of which assess different aspects of the concept of economic structure. The analytical contribution of the volume is to draw attention to the relationship between 'horizontal' and 'vertical' treatments of economic structure that have characterized economic theory. The former focuses on the circular character of economic relationships, as exemplified in the Quesnay–Leontief literature, while the latter concentrates on the relationships between the 'fund' of productive resources and the production of finished goods. Perhaps the most important contribution of the volume is to provide a linkage between the two approaches and to put forward a new conceptual framework that combines an appreciation for the importance of technical relationships with a recognition of the institutional arrangements in the economic system.

List of figures; List of contributors; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction Mauro Baranzini and Roberto Scazzieri; Part I. Structure and Institutions in Political Economy: 1. Economic structure and political institutions: a theoretical framework Lorenzo Ornaghi; Part II. Single-Period Relationships and Economic Theory: 2. Economic structure and the theory of economic equilibrium Takashi Negishi; 3. Structure and change within the circular theory of production Heinrich Bortis; Part III. Structural Dynamics and the Analysis of Economic Change: 4. Specification of structure and economic dynamics Michael A. Landesmann and Roberto Scazzieri; 5. Vertical integration, growth and sequential change Jean Magnan de Bornier; 6. The structural theory of economic growth Harald Hagemann; Part IV. A Framework for Structural Analysis: 7. Economic theory and industrial evolution Michio Morishima; 8. Production process and dynamic economics Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen; 9. Economic structure: analytical perspectives Mauro Baranzini and Roberto Scazzieri; Name index; Subject index.

This volume, first published in 1991, represents a wide-ranging inquiry into the general field of structural economic analysis and provides a thorough appraisal of the method of economic dynamics. It comprises nine original essays by distinguished scholars, all of which assess different aspects of the concept of economic structure.