Skip to main content

Production Functions

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
  • 82 Accesses

Abstract

Traditionally, the production function was assumed to be additive and homogeneous. The constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production function adds flexibility by treating the elasticity of substitution as an unknown parameter, but retains the assumptions of additivity and homogeneity and imposes very stringent limitations on patterns of substitution. The dual formulation of production theory characterizes the production function by means of a dual representation such as a price or cost function, and generates explicit demand and supply functions as derivatives of the price or cost function.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   8,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Arrow, K.J., H.B. Chenery, B.S. Minhas, and R.M. Solow. 1961. Capital–labor substitution and economic efficiency. Review of Economics and Statistics 63 (3): 225–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, L.R., D.W. Jorgenson, and L.J. Lau. 1971. Conjugate duality and the transcendental logarithmic production function. Econometrica 39 (3): 255–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, L.R., D.W. Jorgenson, and L.J. Lau. 1973. Transcendental logarithmic production frontiers. Review of Economics and Statistics 55 (1): 28–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, C.W., and P.H. Douglas. 1928. A theory of production. American Economic Review 18: 139–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, P.H. 1948. Are there laws of production? American Economic Review 38: 1–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, P.H. 1967. Comments on the Cobb–Douglas production function. In The theory and empirical analysis of production, ed. M. Brown, 15–22. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, P.H. 1976. The Cobb–Douglas production function once again: Its history, its testing, and some empirical values. Journal of Political Economy 84: 903–916.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frisch, R. 1965. Theory of production. Chicago: Rand McNally. (English translation from the 9th edn of lectures published in Norwegian; the 1st edn of the lectures dates from 1926.)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hicks, J.R. 1946. Value and capital. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hicks, J.R. 1963. The theory of wages. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hotelling, H.S. 1932. Edgeworth’s taxation paradox and the nature of demand and supply functions. Journal of Political Economy 40: 577–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgenson, D.W. 1983. Modeling production for general equilibrium analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Economics 85 (2): 101–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jorgenson, D.W. 1986. Econometric methods for modeling producer behavior. In Handbook of econometrics, ed. Z. Griliches and M.D. Intriligator, vol. 3. North-Holland: Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • McFadden, D. 1963. Further results on CES production functions. Review of Economic Studies 30 (2): 73–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samuelson, P.A. 1953. Prices of factors and goods in general equilibrium. Review of Economic Studies 21 (1): 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samuelson, P.A. 1960. Structure of a minimum equilibrium system. In Essays in economics and econometrics, ed. R.W. Pfouts, 1–33. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samuelson, P.A. 1973. Relative shares and elasticities simplified: Comment. American Economic Review 63: 770–771.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samuelson, P.A. 1983. Foundations of economic analysis. 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shephard, R.W. 1953. Cost and production functions. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shephard, R.W. 1970. Theory of cost and production functions. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uzawa, H. 1962. Production functions with constant elasticity of substitution. Review of Economic Studies 29 (4): 291–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Jorgenson, D.W. (2018). Production Functions. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1895

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics