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The limits to designed orders: Authority under “distributed knowledge” conditions

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  • K. Foss
  • Nicolai Foss

Abstract

We examine the argument, put forward by modern management writers and, in a somewhat different guise by Austrian economists, that authority is not a viable mechanism of coordination in the presence of “distributed knowledge” We define authority and distributed knowledge and argue that authority is compatible with distributed knowledge. Moreover, it is not clear on theoretical grounds how distributed knowledge impacts on economic organization. An implication is that the Austrian argument that designed orders are strongly constrained by the Hayekian dispersed knowledge (Hayek, Kirzner, Sautet) is less decisive than it has usually been taken to be. The positive flipside of this argument is that Austrians confront an exciting research agenda in theorizing how distributed knowledge impacts economic organization. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2006

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  • K. Foss & Nicolai Foss, 2006. "The limits to designed orders: Authority under “distributed knowledge” conditions," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 19(4), pages 261-274, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:revaec:v:19:y:2006:i:4:p:261-274
    DOI: 10.1007/s11138-006-9248-9
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    2. Zhao, Liang & Zhu, Xian Chen, 2008. "An Explanation to Individual Knowledge and Behavior Based on Empirical Substrates," MPRA Paper 6825, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Shastitko, Andrey & Golovanova, Svetlana, 2016. "Meeting blindly… Is Austrian economics useful for dynamic capabilities theory?," Russian Journal of Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 86-110.
    4. Zhihong Mo, 2012. "Decentralized planning in a market economy? On the nature of Coase’s research program," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 25(2), pages 115-129, June.

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