D50 - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium: GeneralReturn

Institutional economics is one of the most developing fields of economics. However, many its issues still need to be solved. For instance the theory does not give exact answer to why particular institutions (formal and informal norms) occur, change and cease to exist. The paper tries to solve the topic through the model of establishing and disrupting institutional equilibrium in redistribution systems. People live their whole lives in redistribution systems and they can be members of a winning coalition and receive some redistribution or they are out of coalition and the redistribution is made to their detriment. The members of a winning coalition are not, however, automatically guaranteed ongoing membership. So they have interest to establish a structure of institutions (institutional equilibrium) helping them to protect their position. The paper divides redistribution into two kinds: necessary and unnecessary redistribution. The process of creating a winning coalition in a redistribution system is described and it is shown how institutions help to facilitate the process. Then the paper defines the institutional equilibrium (IEQ) and its conditions. They are explained the connections between IEQ and redistribution systems, the conditions when is convenient for some players endeavour to create a equilibrium, the reasons why IEQ does not occur. The theory of institutional change is hereto used - if somebody endeavours to create a IEQ, (s)he also realizes a institutional change.

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.

The concept of utility is interpreted (in M. Friedman's intentions) as the present value of future income from investments in human capital occurring in the framework of personal consumption. In this sense consumption is regarded as a productive phenomenon. On this basis the concept of general economic equilibrium can be classified. On the one hand, instead of the disputable theory of social welfare the role of capital market in parallel creating equilibrium between supply and demand of investments opportunities, on the other hand, demand and supply of investment funds is applied. The proposed concept is applicable to explain current changes connected with the transition to knowledge based society.