IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cdp/texdis/td241.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Arrow-Debreu and the classical and neoclassical economics

Author

Listed:
  • Cláudio Gontijo

    (UFMG)

Abstract

This article challenges the notion that the modern general equilibrium theory of Arrow-Debreu is a rigorous formulation of neoclassical economics and that, by contrast, Sraffian and Marxian economics are not compatible with it. It shows that the standard Arrow-Debreu assumptions regarding the production sets and profit maximization are sufficient to determine equilibrium prices, which then do not depend on consumers’ preferences. Arrow-Debreu equilibrium prices are similar to Marxian labor values since they are proportional to labor time and factor prices are variables that determine the distribution of income but not commodity prices. Instead of being related to the quantity of capital, profits are also proportional to the quantity of labor, causing capital to have different prices at the same point in time and at the same market, which is hardly compatible with the hypothesis of free competition. If the notion of equilibrium prices is modified as to make capital to be rewarded at the same rate in all sectors of the economy, the hypothesis of decreasing returns to scale ensures that competitive prices are an increasing function of demand and, as a consequence, they can be viewed as a product of the interaction between supply and demand. However, in any case there is no inverse relationship between the quantity of capital and its rate of rewards, as requires the neoclassical law of diminishing returns.

Suggested Citation

  • Cláudio Gontijo, 2004. "Arrow-Debreu and the classical and neoclassical economics," Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG td241, Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
  • Handle: RePEc:cdp:texdis:td241
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cedeplar.ufmg.br/pesquisas/td/TD%20241.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Garegnani, Pierangelo, 1983. "The Classical Theory of Wages and the Role of Demand Schedules in the Determination of Relative Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(2), pages 309-313, May.
    2. Hahn, Frank, 1982. "The Neo-Ricardians," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 6(4), pages 353-374, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bellino, Enrico & Nerozzi, Sebastiano, 2013. "Causality and interdependence in Pasinetti's works and in the modern classical approach," MPRA Paper 52179, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Heinz D. Kurz, 2011. "The Contributions of Two Eminent Japanese Scholars to the Development of Economic Theory: Michio Morishima and Takashi Negishi," Chapters, in: Heinz D. Kurz & Tamotsu Nishizawa & Keith Tribe (ed.), The Dissemination of Economic Ideas, chapter 13, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Saverio M. Fratini, 2020. "Interest, profit and saving in Arrow-Debreu equilibrium models," Bulletin of Political Economy, Bulletin of Political Economy, vol. 14(1), pages 39-53, June.
    4. Luigi L. Pasinetti, 2000. "Critique of the neoclassical theory of growth and distribution," BNL Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 53(215), pages 383-431.
    5. B. Frey & G. Bamberg & G. Duménil & D. Lévy & C. Kuhner & E. Janeba & O. Bouin & A. Simonovits & J. Schulenburg, 1993. "Book reviews," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 305-323, October.
    6. Kurose, Kazuhiro & Yoshihara, Naoki, 2016. "The Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson Model and the Cambridge Capital Controversies," UMASS Amherst Economics Working Papers 2016-05, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics.
    7. Maria Cristina Marcuzzo & Annalisa Rosselli, 1994. "Ricardo's Theory of Money Matters," Revue Économique, Programme National Persée, vol. 45(5), pages 1251-1268.
    8. Ciccone, Michele, 2022. "Some notes on Ricardo's analysis of the convergence process of the market rate of interest to the natural rate," MPRA Paper 112887, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Olivier Rosell, 2013. "L’apport de Robert TORRENS à la théorie Ricardienne du salaire naturel," Working Papers hal-04141164, HAL.
    10. Tsoulfidis, Lefteris, 2017. "Ricardo’s Theory of Value is Alive and Well in Contemporary Capitalism," MPRA Paper 96491, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 Oct 2019.
    11. Neri Salvadori & Rodolfo Signorino, 2013. "The Classical Notion of Competition Revisited," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 45(1), pages 149-175, Spring.
    12. Neri Salvadori & Rodolfo Signorino, 2014. "Adam Smith on Monopoly Theory. Making good a lacuna," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 61(2), pages 178-195, May.
    13. Persefoni Tsaliki & Lefteris Tsoulfidis, 2015. "Classical Economists, Marx and Marshall on Dominant Technique," HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THOUGHT AND POLICY, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(2), pages 21-36.
    14. Neri Salvadori & Rodolfo Signorino, 2016. "Competition," Chapters, in: Gilbert Faccarello & Heinz D. Kurz (ed.), Handbook on the History of Economic Analysis Volume III, chapter 6, pages 70-81, Edward Elgar Publishing.
      • Salvadori, Neri & Signorino, Rodolfo, 2011. "Competition," MPRA Paper 38387, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Bellino, Enrico, 2009. "The Classical approach to distribution and the “natural system”," MPRA Paper 14901, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Iván A. Montoya Restrepo & Luz Alexandra Montoya Restrepo, 2015. "Propuesta de un sistema de equilibrio general clásico de los precios con capital circulante susceptible de ofrecer diversas calidades," Revista de Economía del Caribe 14781, Universidad del Norte.
    17. Heinz D. Kurz & Tamotsu Nishizawa & Keith Tribe (ed.), 2011. "The Dissemination of Economic Ideas," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14521.
    18. Meacci, Ferdinando, 2014. "Ricardo's and Malthus's common error in their conflicting theories of the value of labour," MPRA Paper 55948, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Mark Glick & Eduardo M. Ochoa, 1990. "Classical and Neoclassical Elements in Industrial Organization," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 16(3), pages 197-207, Jul-Sep.
    20. Machado, Pedro S. & Trigg, Andrew B., 2021. "On absolute and comparative advantage in international trade: A Pasinetti pure labour approach," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 375-383.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Arrow-Debreu model; general equilibrium theory; Marxian economics; Sraffian economics; capital controversy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B51 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Socialist; Marxian; Sraffian
    • C62 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
    • D50 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cdp:texdis:td241. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Gustavo Britto (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/pufmgbr.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.