SEMAINE D ETUDE SUR LE ROLE DE L ANALYSE ECONOMETRIOUE ETC.
625
The first one refers to methods of analysis. If the assump-
tions embodied in the two cases of economic growth considered
above were acceptable, then there would not really be much
gain of insight into the working of an economic system by
using a disaggregated model. The merit of such a model would
only be to show the structure of the system at a given point of
time. But since this structure remains the same for ever, the
dynamics of the system is always uniform, which means that
no extra information can be obtained by disaggregating. In
other words, a macro-economic formulation would be by itself
sufficient and satisfactory.
The second conclusion is of a much more practical relev-
ance. If the assumptions embodied in the two cases of economic
growth considered above were to correspond, even roughly, to
what in the long run is happening in the real world, then any
oreoccupation about problems of economic growth would be
entirely unjustified. The model considered above amounts in
fact to saying that economic growth as such does not present
any problem at all. The only thing that in any economic
system is to be done is the setting up of that particular struc-
‘ure which is most desired — the only constraint being that it
must satisfy relations (IV.5) and (IV.6). This is a once-for-all
problem. Once this structure has been set up, no problem exists
any more. Thereafter, the system will expand for ever, keeping
proportions constant.
Attractive though the first conclusions may be, the second
one is so much in a striking contrast with everyday experience
and with the economic policies of all Governments, that it
should immediately lead one to infer that there must be so-
mething wrong somewhere. And it is my contention that this
something wrong is to be found exactly in the hypothetical
case of economic growth considered in the previous section.
To substantiate this assertion will require all the rest of
the present chapter.
10] Pasinetti - pag. 55
