B21 - History of Economic Thought: MicroeconomicsNávrat zpět

Very low real rates of interest observed in modern economies might be caused by the fact that the natural rate of interest declined to a zero level. This article shows that a zero or a negative natural interest can be explained by the Böhm-Bawerkian and neoclassical theory. Firstly, two senses of time preference are introduced in a discounted utility model, and key determinants of the zero interest rate on the side of time preference are discussed in detail. Secondly, a simple general equilibrium model with fixed intertemporal endowment is presented. Within this model, a decreasing shape of the income stream is identified as a major source of zero interest along with a low intertemporal elasticity of substitution in consumption. Even in the world of zero or negative natural interest, it might be optimal to be a lender. The last section focuses on the role of marginal productivity of capital in the model, stressing the role of this phenomenon on one side and time preference on the other in lowering the natural rate of interest to a zero level.

The paper is concerned with the economic theory of George Stigler. First part outlines the life of George Stigler. Second part examines his dissertation "Production and Distribution Theories" (1941). Third part discusses his textbook "The Theory of Price" (1946). Forth part is devoted to his "Essays in the History of Economics" (1965). Fifth part analyzes the work "The Organization of Industry" (1968). Sixth part explains "The Theory of Economic Regulation" (1971). Seventh part discusses Stigler's book "The Citizen and the State" (1975). Eighth part presents his autobiography "Memoirs of an Unregulated Economist" (1988). Stigler has become famous thanks to articles "Economics of Information" (1961) and "Theory of Economic Regulation" (1971), which says that interest groups and other political participants will use the regulatory and coercive powers of government to shape laws and regulations in a way that is beneficial to them.

The paper deals with the different concepts of the human economic preferences in the point of view of the different economic schools, which deals with this topic. The paper begins with the description of the neoclassical concept of the preferences theory, followed by the critical analysis of Samuelsson's concept of the revealed preferences. Further the attention is being paid to the Rothbard's concept of the demonstrated preferences and unprecedented Becker's concept of the stable preferences. The paper concludes with the alternative concepts of preferences of behavioral economics, Lancaster approach and evolutional theory.

This paper surveys some ongoing changes in the historiography of economics. I argue that there is a close connection between a decline of prescriptive economic methodologies based on the positivist philosophy of science and the emerging tendency to write history of economics in a non-Whig way. This "new history" uses historical rather than rational reconstruction method of narration and draws heavily on recent works in sociology of scientific knowledge, science studies, literary theory and general historiography of science. I present main features of this approach as exemplified in some recent works concerned with the influence of mathematics and natural sciences on the history of twentieth-century economics.

The aim of this paper is to introduce the market process as a central concept of Austrian economics as opposed to the general-equilibrium approach of the neoclassical school. In the first part the author shortly reviews the theme of entrepreneur and understanding of entrepreneurial function in the history of economic thought. In the second chapter the formation of the Austrian view of the market as an entrepreneurially driven process and simultaneous emergence of criticism of mainstream theory is explained. The chapter three describes the Austrian understanding of the market process based upon twin concepts of sheer ignorance and entrepreneurial discovery. The last chapter introduces the entrepreneurial market process theory of Schumpeter. Schumpeter's theory is subsequently compared with Kirzner's approach. The author also surveys and compares modern discussions about market process within the Austrian school of economics.