Lectures on the Mathematical Method in Analytical Economics

Book excerpt: An early but still useful and frequently cited contribution to the science of mathematical economics, this volume is geared toward graduate students in the field. Prerequisites include familiarity with the basic theory of matrices and linear transformations and with elementary calculus. Author Jacob T. Schwartz begins his treatment with an exploration of the Leontief input-output model, which forms a general framework for subsequent material. An introductory treatment of price theory in the Leontief model is followed by an examination of the business-cycle theory, following ideas pioneered by Lloyd Metzler and John Maynard Keynes. In the final section, Schwartz applies the teachings of previous chapters to a critique of the general equilibrium approach devised by Léon Walras as the theory of supply and demand, and he synthesizes the notions of Walras and Keynes. 1961 edition.