Cournot, Antoine-Augustin

Cournot, Antoine-Augustin
born Aug. 28, 1801, Gray, France
died March 31, 1877, Paris

French economist and mathematician.

The first economist to apply mathematics effectively to the treatment of economic questions, he made important contributions with his discussion of supply and demand functions, the shifting of taxes, and problems of international trade, and he is best remembered for his discussion of strategic behaviour in a market with only two producers, a so-called duopoly. His principal work is Researches into the Mathematical Principles of the Theory of Wealth (1838).

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▪ French economist and mathematician
born August 28, 1801, Gray, France
died March 31, 1877, Paris

      French economist and mathematician. Cournot was the first economist who, with competent knowledge of both subjects, endeavoured to apply mathematics to the treatment of economics. His main work in economics is Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses (1838; Researches into the Mathematical Principles of the Theory of Wealth). His primary concern was the analysis of partial market equilibrium, which he based on the assumption that participants in the process of exchange are either producers or merchants whose goal is the maximization of profit. He therefore ignored the concept of utility (utility and value). His most important contributions were his discussions of supply-and-demand (supply and demand) functions and of the establishment of equilibrium under conditions of monopoly (monopoly and competition), duopoly, and perfect competition; his analysis of the shifting of taxes, which he treated as changes in the cost of production; and his discussion of problems of international trade.

      Cournot was the first economist to define and draw a demand curve to illustrate the relationship between price of and demand for a given item. He proceeded to show that the profit-maximizing output for a producer is reached when the marginal cost (marginal-cost pricing) (the cost of producing one additional unit) equals the marginal revenue (the revenue realized from selling one additional unit). This work was lost until its rediscovery by Joan Robinson (Robinson, Joan) almost a century later. Moreover, Cournot introduced the idea of elasticity of demand, though he did not use that phrase.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Cournot, Antoine-Augustin — (1801 1877)    mathematician, economist, philosopher    Born in Gray, Antoine Augustin Cournot, who was not well known in his lifetime, wrote works on economics (Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses, 1838) that… …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Cournot, Antoine-Augustin — ► (1801 77) Matemático, economista y filósofo francés. Estudió el cálculo de probabilidades, que intentó aplicar a la filosofía y a la economía política. * * * (28 ago. 1801, Gray, Francia–31 mar. 1877, París). Economista y matemático francés.… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Antoine Augustin Cournot — (* 28. August 1801 in Gray; † 31. März 1877 in Paris) war ein französischer Mathematiker und Wirtschaftstheoretiker. Er kann zur klassischen Ökonomie gezählt werden und gilt als Mitbegründer der mathematischen Wirtschaftstheorie.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Antoine Augustin Cournot — Born 28 August 1801(1801 08 28) Gray, Haute Saône Died 31 March 1877(1877 03 31) (aged …   Wikipedia

  • Antoine (Augustin) Cournot — Antoine Augustin Cournot Antoine Augustin Cournot (Gray, 28 août 1801 Paris, 30 mars 1877) est un mathématicien français qui s est intéressé notamment à la formalisation des théories économiques. Il est ainsi un des premiers à avoir formulé un… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Antoine Augustin Cournot — (Gray, 28 août 1801 Paris, 30 mars 1877) est un mathématicien français qui s est intéressé notamment à la formalisation des théories économiques. Il est ainsi un des premiers à avoir formulé un modèle de l offre et de la demande. Sommaire 1… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Antoine-Augustin Cournot — (Gray, 28 août 1801 Paris, 30 mars 1877) est un mathématicien français qui s est intéressé notamment à la formalisation des théories économiques. Il est ainsi un des premiers à avoir formulé un modèle de l offre et de la demande. Sommaire 1… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Antoine-Augustin Cournot — (* 28. August 1801 in Gray; † 31. März 1877 in Paris) war ein französischer Mathematiker und Wirtschaftstheoretiker. Er kann zur klassischen Ökonomie gezählt werden und gilt als Mitbegründer der mathematischen Wirtschaftstheorie.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Antoine Augustin Cournot — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Antoine Augustin Cournot (Gray, Alto Saona, Francia,28 de agosto de 1801‑ París, 31 de marzo de 1877) fue un matemático y economista francés impulsor del marginalismo, conocido por sus estudios sobre la oferta y la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cournot — Cournot, Antoine Augustin …   Enciclopedia Universal

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