
Nagatani here contends that economic activities are human affairs, and that when humans interact, market equilibrium is not unique but multiple, with no natural tendency to converge on the optimum. Arguing that neoclassical economics, founded on the assumptions of individual rationality and market equilibrium, provides an inadequate analytical structure for the examination of human economic behavior, he discusses actual problems of poverty and economic development as evidential to this apparent impass between theory and reality. He propounds as alternative determinants of economic performance the "internal markets" of economic organizations and their interactions, and draws on his experience as an academic and bureaucrat in Japan and Canada in defending his thesis.
This work investigates the failure of neoclassical economic theory to account for the complexities of human interaction and the resulting lack of convergence toward optimal market equilibrium. Drawing on his dual background as an academic and a government bureaucrat in Japan and Canada, Keizo Nagatani argues that economic activity is fundamentally a human affair characterized by multiple equilibria. He critiques the reliance on individual rationality as an insufficient analytical framework and proposes that the internal dynamics of economic organizations serve as more accurate determinants of performance.
What You Will Find
Experts recognize this text as a critical intervention in macroeconomic discourse, particularly for its challenge to standard equilibrium models. Readers frequently note the author's unique synthesis of academic rigor and practical bureaucratic experience, which provides a distinct perspective on the limitations of traditional economic modeling.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
1990-01-04
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0198286422
ISBN-13:
9780198286424
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!