IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/76343.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Neoclassical theories of stationary relative prices and the supply of capital

Author

Listed:
  • Fratini, Saverio M.

Abstract

In the traditional versions of the neoclassical theory of value and distribution, the stock of existing capital—understood as either an amount of value or an endowment of capital goods—was taken as given, together with the available quantities of labour and natural resources. This characteristic of the early neoclassical theories is analysed by the comparison with the modern neo-Walrasian models of stationary equilibrium, in which the stock of capital is not considered among the data. We show that the attempt to put capital on the same footing as labour and land—i.e. to present it as a factor of production—led the early neoclassical author to write the zero netaccumulation condition, which was required by the stationarity of relative prices, in the form of a market clearing condition between supply of and demand for capital. The rate of interest was then understood as the price to determine by this market. However, as is well known, the conception of capital as a factor of production—and of the rate of interest as the price for its use—did not work and involved several problems, some of which are discussed in this paper.

Suggested Citation

  • Fratini, Saverio M., 2017. "Neoclassical theories of stationary relative prices and the supply of capital," MPRA Paper 76343, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:76343
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/76343/1/MPRA_paper_76343.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edmond Malinvaud, 2003. "The Legacy of Knut Wicksell to Capital Theory," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 105(4), pages 507-525, December.
    2. Paolo Trabucchi, 2011. "Capital as a Single Magnitude and the Orthodox Theory of Distribution in Some Writings of the Early 1930s," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 169-188, April.
    3. Kurz, Heinz D. & Salvadori, Neri, 2001. "The aggregate neoclassical theory of distribution and the concept of a given value of capital: a reply," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 479-485, December.
    4. Bliss, C. J., 1975. "Capital Theory and the Distribution of Income," Elsevier Monographs, Elsevier, edition 1, number 9780720436044 edited by Bliss, C. J..
    5. Ariel Dvoskin & Andr�s Lazzarini, 2013. "On Walras's Concept of Equilibrium," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 117-138, January.
    6. Paul A. Samuelson, 1966. "A Summing Up," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 80(4), pages 568-583.
    7. Ariel Dvoskin & Saverio M. Fratini, 2016. "On the Samuelson–Etula Master Function and the capital controversy," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(6), pages 1032-1058, November.
    8. Saverio M. Fratini, 2013. "Real W icksell Effect, Demand for Capital and Stability," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(2), pages 346-360, May.
    9. Potestio, Paola, 1999. "The aggregate neoclassical theory of distribution and the concept of a given value of capital: towards a more general critique," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 10(3-4), pages 381-394, December.
    10. Hahn, F H, 1975. "Revival of Political Economy: The Wrong Issues and the Wrong Argument," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 51(135), pages 360-364, September.
    11. Fabio Petri, 2016. "Walras on Capital: Interpretative Insights from a Review by Bortkiewicz," Contributions to Political Economy, Oxford University Press, vol. 35(1), pages 23-38.
    12. Larry Samuelson, 1982. "On Wicksell's Missing Equation," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 14(3), pages 301-307, Fall.
    13. Garegnani, Pierangelo, 2008. "On Walras'S Theory Of Capital (Provisional Draft 1962)," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 30(3), pages 367-384, September.
    14. Petri, Fabio, 2016. "Walras on capital: interpretative insights from a review by Bortkiewicz," Centro Sraffa Working Papers CSWP17, Centro di Ricerche e Documentazione "Piero Sraffa".
    15. Bo Sandelin, 1980. "Wicksell's Missing Equation, the Production Function, and the Wicksell Effect," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 12(1), pages 29-40, Spring.
    16. Gaetano Bloise & Pietro Reichlin, 2009. "An Obtrusive Remark On Capital And Comparative Statics," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 54-76, February.
    17. Fratini, Saverio M., 2012. "Malinvaud on Wicksell’s legacy to capital theory: some critical remarks," MPRA Paper 39574, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Saverio M. Fratini, 2007. "Reswitching of Techniques in an Intertemporal Equilibrium Model with Overlapping Generations," Contributions to Political Economy, Oxford University Press, vol. 26(1), pages 43-59.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Saverio M. Fratini, 2019. "On The Second Stage Of The Cambridge Capital Controversy," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 1073-1093, September.

    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. Ariel Dvoskin & Saverio M. Fratini, 2016. "On the Samuelson–Etula Master Function and the capital controversy," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(6), pages 1032-1058, November.
    2. Saverio M. Fratini, 2019. "On The Second Stage Of The Cambridge Capital Controversy," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 1073-1093, September.
    3. Dvoskin, Ariel & Fratini, Saverio M., 2015. "On the Samuelson-Etula Master Function and Marginal Productivity: some old and new critical remarks," MPRA Paper 63415, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Saverio M. Fratini, 2015. "A Note on Reswitching and Intertemporal Prices," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4), pages 666-678, October.
    5. Saverio M. Fratini, 2019. "A note on re-switching, the average period of production and the Austrian business-cycle theory," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 32(4), pages 363-374, December.
    6. Ariel Dvoskin & Fabio Petri, 2017. "Again on the Relevance of Reverse Capital Deepening and Reswitching," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(4), pages 625-659, November.
    7. Fratini, Saverio M., 2018. "A note on re-switching and the neo-Austrian concept of the average period of production," MPRA Paper 87306, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Avi J. Cohen, 2003. "Retrospectives: Whatever Happened to the Cambridge Capital Theory Controversies?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 199-214, Winter.
    9. Fratini, Saverio M., 2012. "Malinvaud on Wicksell’s legacy to capital theory: some critical remarks," MPRA Paper 39574, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Enrico Bellino & Christian Bidard & Saverio M. Fratini & G.C. Harcourt & Arrigo Opocher & Ian Steedman & Naoki Yoshihara & Heinz D. Kurz, 2017. "Symposium on Arrigo Opocher and Ian Steedman (," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(4), pages 586-624, November.
    11. Ariel Dvoskin & Fabio Petri, 2015. "Again on the relevance of reverse capital deepening and reswitching," Department of Economics University of Siena 710, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    12. Garbellini, Nadia, 2020. "Measurement without theory, and theory without measurement: What's wrong with Piketty's capital in the XXI century?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 50-62.
    13. Da Silva, Sergio, 2009. "Does Macroeconomics Need Microeconomic Foundations?," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), vol. 3, pages 1-11.
    14. Acurio Vásconez, Verónica & Giraud, Gaël & Mc Isaac, Florent & Pham, Ngoc-Sang, 2015. "The effects of oil price shocks in a new-Keynesian framework with capital accumulation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 844-854.
    15. Sushama Murty & R. Robert Russell, 2005. "Externality Policy Reform: A General Equilibrium Analysis," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 7(1), pages 117-150, February.
    16. Potestio, Paola, 2001. "The aggregate neoclassical theory of distribution and the concept of a given value of capital: a counter-reply," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 487-490, December.
    17. Gaetano Bloise & Pietro Reichlin, 2009. "An Obtrusive Remark On Capital And Comparative Statics," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 54-76, February.
    18. Amitava Krishna Dutt, 1989. "Sectoral Balance: A Survey," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-1989-056, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    19. Pierangelo Garegnani, 2005. "Capital And Intertemporal Equilibria: A Reply To Mandler," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 411-437, November.
    20. Simon Mohun, 1999. "Markets, Money and Ideology," Working Papers 402, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    stationary relative prices; capital; net accumulation; Wicksell; Walras;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B13 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Neoclassical through 1925 (Austrian, Marshallian, Walrasian, Wicksellian)
    • B21 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Microeconomics
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • D51 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Exchange and Production Economies
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

    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:pra:mprapa:76343. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Joachim Winter). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    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 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.

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.