Radner Equilibrium

What is ‘Radner Equilibrium’

A theory suggesting that if economic decision makers have unlimited computational capacity for choice among strategies, then even in the face of uncertainty about the economic environment, an optimal allocation of resources based on competitive equilibrium can be achieved. Radner Equilibrium was introduced by American economist Roy Radner in 1968, and explores the condition of competitive equilibrium under uncertainty.

Explaining ‘Radner Equilibrium’

The theory also states that in such a world there would be no role for money and liquidity. And the introduction of information (such as the introduction of spot markets and futures markets) about the behavior of other decision makers introduces externalities among the sets of actions available to them. This generates a demand for liquidity, which also arises from computational limitations. The theory notes that uncertainty about the environment greatly complicates a decision problem, thereby indirectly contributing to the demand for liquidity.

Further Reading