Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
1842-1924
Biography
Son of a bank cashier. Father pushed him
to the point that had it not being for trips to
an aunt in the Summers he would have
ended up as another J.S. Mill.
He did not make friends and his two
favorite hobbies (math and chess) were
prohibited by his father
Biography (continuation)
Refused Oxford scholarship (ministry)
Went to Cambridge to study mathematics
Had to leave Cambridge in 1877 since he
decided to marry (just like Malthus)
Bristol took him (have a page dedicated to him
in their Web-page)
Published “Economics of Industry” with his
wife Mary Paley
Biography (continuation)
In 1884 returned to Cambridge
In 50 years of writting he produced 82
publications including:
• 9 editions of Principle of Economics
• 5 editions of Industry and Trade
• 2 editions of The Economics of Industry
• Money, Credit and Commerce appearing in 1923
(year before his death) only appeared in one edition
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
Father of modern orthodox microeconomic
theory (neoclassicism) along with Walras
– Structural basis of undergraduate
economic theory (Walras more
adequate for graduate classes)
– Translated Ricardo and J.S. Mill
economics into mathematics
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
Father of modern orthodox microeconomic theory
(neoclassicism) along with Walras
In defining Economics he stated:
• Political Economy or Economics is a study
mankind in the ordinary business of life; it
examines the part of the individual and social
action which is most closely connected with the
attainment and with the use of the material
requisites of well being (text 274)
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
– Forged the principles of supply and
demand analysis
– Religious and humanitarian
convictions
Concern for the poor and desire to
improve the well-being of society
through economics (focused on applied
theory)
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
Demand
Quantity
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
Marshall on Supply
• Most important contribution to theory of supply was
his concept of the time period, particularly the short
run and the long run.
– Spoiling the market - selling at low prices today and
preventing the rise of market prices tomorrow, or selling at
prices that incur resentment of other firms in the industry.
– True cost curve for SR is not marginal cost curve but a
supply curve to the left of the marginal cost curve (here,
Marshall dropped the assumption of perfect competition).
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
Marshall on Supply
• LR forces that determine the shape and
position of firm’s cost and supply curves:
• Internal forces - as the size of firm
increases, internal economies of scale
lead to decreasing costs and internal
diseconomies result in increasing costs.
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
Marshall on Supply
• LR forces that determine the shape and position of
firm’s cost and supply curves:
• External forces - external economies (not clear
whether to firm or industry) result in downward shift
of firm and industry cost and supply curves as
industry develops.
– Major causes of external economies are the
reductions in costs that take place for all firms in
an industry when all firms locate together and
share ideas and attract subsidiary industries and
skilled labor to the area.
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
Stable and Unstable Equilibrium
• Stable equilibrium is achieved when any
displacement from equilibrium will produce
forces returning the market to equilibrium
• Unstable equilibrium is possible when supply
curve in downward sloping. If price or quantity
attain equilibrium values, they will remain there,
by if system is disturbed it will not return to
these equilibrium values.
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
His dabbling into Macroeconomics
• Economic Fluctuations, Money and
Prices
• Marshall studied influence of monetary
forces on general level of prices.
• Money, Credit and Commerce (1923)
Alfred Marshall (cont.)
His dabbling into Macroeconomics
• Suggested 2 public policies to combat depression and
unemployment:
• Control markets so that credit is not over-
expanded in periods of rising business
confidence b/c over-expansion may lead to
recession.
• If depression occurs, governments can help
restore business confidence by guaranteeing
firms against risk