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General Economic Equilibrium as a Unifying Concept in Energy-Economic Modeling

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  • John P. Weyant

    (Department of Operations Research, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305)

Abstract

In the pristine model of general economic equilibrium producers and consumers are assumed to take prices for their inputs and outputs as given. A market equilibrium solution is obtained when the prices of all products lead to equal amounts of supply and demand for each. The mathematical properties of this model provide a rich and powerful unifying foundation for much of modern microeconomic theory. However, in many practical applications it is difficult or impossible to develop the data, and formulate and solve the equations required to implement the model of general economic equilibrium in its most general form. In practice, generality of formulation is often sacrificed for ease of computation and interpretation. These tradeoffs allow the latest breakthroughs in optimization algorithms and computer technology to be applied in the analysis of important societal problems. A potential drawback associated with this otherwise desirable trend is that the analysis could become infatuated with the use of particular algorithms, and lose sight of the restrictive simplifying assumptions they imply. The present paper includes a comparison of the simplifying assumptions required in four of the most popular types of energy-economic models with respect to the model of general economic equilibrium. This comparison helps sharpen our appreciation for the tradeoffs between generalization of formulation and ease of computation and interpretation that are available. The concept of general economic equilibrium is employed to provide a common framework for four ostensibly different approaches to large-scale modeling: (1) variable-coefficient input-output theory, (2) process network methodology, (3) linear programming and (4) general nonlinear optimization. The similarities and the differences of the four approaches are isolated within this framework. This comparison makes both the absolute and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the models more transparent.

Suggested Citation

  • John P. Weyant, 1985. "General Economic Equilibrium as a Unifying Concept in Energy-Economic Modeling," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(5), pages 548-563, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:31:y:1985:i:5:p:548-563
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.31.5.548
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    Cited by:

    1. Shi, Xia & Lu, Yingzhong, 1990. "3.2. Multisectoral planning models," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 325-339.
    2. Böhringer, Christoph & Rutherford, Thomos F., 2009. "Integrated assessment of energy policies: Decomposing top-down and bottom-up," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1648-1661, September.
    3. Capros, P. & Karadeloglou, P. & Mentzas, G. & Samouilidis, J.-E., 1990. "3.1. Short and medium-term modeling and problems of models linkage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 301-324.
    4. Gabriel, Steven A. & Vikas, Shree & Ribar, David M., 2000. "Measuring the influence of Canadian carbon stabilization programs on natural gas exports to the United States via a 'bottom-up' intertemporal spatial price equilibrium model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 497-525, October.
    5. Bohringer, Christoph, 1998. "The synthesis of bottom-up and top-down in energy policy modeling," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 233-248, June.
    6. Wietschel, M. & Fichtner, W. & Rentz, O., 1997. "Integration of price-depending demand reactions in an optimising energy emission model for the development of CO2-mitigation strategies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(3), pages 432-444, November.
    7. Aliaga Lordemann, Javier, 2009. "Energy Technology Assessment," Documentos de trabajo 8/2009, Instituto de Investigaciones Socio-Económicas (IISEC), Universidad Católica Boliviana.
    8. Ponce, Roberto & Parrado, Ramiro & Stehr, Alejandra & Bosello, Francesco, 2016. "Climate Change, Water Scarcity in Agriculture and the Economy-Wide Impacts in a CGE Framework," EIA: Climate Change: Economic Impacts and Adaptation 251813, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).

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    Keywords

    energy; economics;

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