Title
What A Difference A Sum (sigma) Makes: Success And Failure In The Rationalization Of Demand
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2012
Publication Title
Journal Of The History Of Economic Thought
Department
Economics
Abstract
This paper discusses the Sonnenschein-Mantel-Debreu (SMD) theorems in general equilibrium theory. It argues that the SMD results were related to the previous literature on the integrability of demand. The integrability question involved rationalizing individual demand functions, and the SMD theorems asked the same question about aggregate (market) excess demand functions. The paper's two goals are to demonstrate how the SMD results followed naturally from the earlier work on integrability, and to point out that the profession's reception was quite different; the integrability results were considered a success story, while the SMD results were quite negative.
Volume
34
Issue
3
pp.
379-396
ISSN
1053-8372
Provider Link
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ecn&AN=1408222&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Citation
Hands, Douglas Wade. 2012. "What a Difference a Sum (Sigma) Makes: Success and Failure in the Rationalization of Demand." Journal Of The History Of Economic Thought 34(3): 379-396.