86 ECONOMIC ESSAYS IN HONOR OF JOHN BATES CLARK
A factor may retain the same elasticity but by a fractional
movement of its supply schedule to the left it will supply at the
same price less than before.
We may now proceed to come to closer grips with the prob-
lem. Assuming that we are dealing only with one commodity and
with two factors, we shall
try to determine what the
effects of various elastic-
ities of supply of the fac-
tors will be under the
three following sets of
changes:
1. An increase in the
effectiveness of industry.
This might be caused by
an improvement of tech-
nical processes, by inven-
tions, or by a gain in the
exchange rate of the com-
modity produced in this
community as compared
with those produced in other communities.
2. A decrease in the effectiveness of industry. This in turn
might result from a war, from a loss in social vitality or by a
decrease in the exchange ratio between this and other
communities.
3. A change in the bargaining powers of the factors. A fuller
discussion as to what constitutes bargaining power will be given
in a later section, but here it is enough to define such a change as
occurring when one factor improves its relative strength in this
regard over its former status.
Js
5. Elasticities of Supply in Relation to Increases in the Effective-
ness of Industry
Let us assume that without any initial change in the quan-
tities of the factors the effectiveness of industry increases by
let us say, one-third. What then is the effect which this has,
under varying elasticities, upon (1) quantities of factors offered,
(2) the return per unit of each factor and (3) the proportion of
the total product received?