Profile Major Works Resources

Roy G.D. Allen, 1906-1983

Portrait of R.G.D. Allen

The unofficial tutor of a whole generation of economists, Roy G.D. Allen did much to advance the use of mathematics in economics.

R.G.D. Allen was trained at the London School of Economics, and together with John Hicks, was instrumental in bringing the works of the Lausanne school into notice in the Anglo-American world. His famous 1934 paper with Hicks in Economica, introducing the derivation of demand functions from utility-maximization and the consequent breakdown into income and substitution effects ("Slutsky Equation") launched the "Paretian" rebirth of Neoclassical economics.   His famous 1938  book, which set down the mathematical down for the next generation, introduced several novel concepts, such as the "partial elasticity of substitution". 

His later work focused mainly on statistics, particularly the problem of index numbers and retail prices.  His famous 1935 survey on family expenditure surveys and the analysis of budgets with Arthur Bowley was a pioneering effort in empirical microeconomics.

 

  

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Major works of Roy G.D. Allen

  • "The Nature of Indifference Curves", 1934, RES.
  • "The Concept of the Arc Elasticity of Demand", 1934, RES
  • "A Reconsideration of the Theory of Value", with J.R. Hicks, 1934, Economica.
  • Family Expenditure with A.L. Bowley, 1935.
  • Mathematical Analysis for Economists, 1938.
  • "The Supply of Engineering Labor under Boom Conditions", with B. Thomas, 1939, EJ
  • Statistics for Economists, 1949.
  • "Index Numbers of Retail Prices, 1938-51", 1952, Applied Statistics.
  • Macroeconomic Theory, 1967.
  • "On Official Statistics and Official Statisticians", 1970, J of Royal Statistical Society
  • Index Numbers in Theory and Practice, 1975.
  • Introduction to National Accounts Statistics, 1980.
HET

 
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Resources on R.G.D. Allen

 
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