tâtonnement process

E588136

The tâtonnement process is an economic adjustment mechanism, introduced by Léon Walras, in which prices are iteratively revised in response to excess demand or supply until a general equilibrium is reached without actual trades occurring out of equilibrium.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
tâtonnement process canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf economic adjustment mechanism ⓘ
general equilibrium concept ⓘ
price adjustment process ⓘ
appliesTo exchange economies ⓘ
multi-market economies ⓘ
production economies ⓘ
assumes centralized price setting by an auctioneer ⓘ
assumption agents take prices as given ⓘ
markets are cleared only at equilibrium prices ⓘ
no trades occur out of equilibrium ⓘ
characteristic discrete or continuous price adjustments ⓘ
dynamic adjustment path toward equilibrium ⓘ
no quantity trading during adjustment ⓘ
conditionForConvergence gross substitutability of excess demand functions ⓘ
stability of excess demand functions ⓘ
contrastedWith non-tâtonnement adjustment processes ⓘ
quantity adjustment mechanisms ⓘ
coreIdea prices are iteratively revised in response to excess demand or supply ⓘ
criticizedFor ignoring quantity rationing during adjustment ⓘ
lack of realism about no trade out of equilibrium ⓘ
potential instability or cycles in some economies ⓘ
equilibriumCondition market demand equals market supply in all markets ⓘ
etymology from French "tâtonner" meaning "to grope" or "to grope one’s way" ⓘ
field general equilibrium theory ⓘ
microeconomics ⓘ
goal reach general equilibrium ⓘ
historicalContext developed in late 19th century ⓘ
idealizationOf how competitive markets might adjust toward equilibrium ⓘ
influenced modern dynamic general equilibrium models ⓘ
influencedBy Léon Walras’s Elements of Pure Economics ⓘ
introducedBy Léon Walras ⓘ
linked to: Leon Walras
involves calculation of excess demand in each market ⓘ
iterative price revision until excess demand is zero ⓘ
languageOfOrigin French ⓘ
mathematicalFormulation difference equations for iterative price updates ⓘ
differential equations for price dynamics ⓘ
mechanism auctioneer adjusts prices based on excess demand ⓘ
relatedConcept Walrasian auctioneer ⓘ
Walrasian equilibrium ⓘ
general competitive equilibrium ⓘ
relatedResult Arrow–Hurwicz stability analysis ⓘ
Sonnenschein–Mantel–Debreu results on excess demand ⓘ
requiresInformation knowledge of aggregate excess demand in each period ⓘ
teaches conceptual separation between trading and price formation ⓘ
usedIn stability analysis of general equilibrium ⓘ
theoretical analysis of market stability ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Léon Walras → knownFor → tâtonnement process ⓘ
subject linked to: Leon Walras