A comparison between economic systems with an application to transition

This paper develops a general equilibrium theory of endogenous firm and class formation under non-contractibility with heterogeneous individuals. A collectivist economy, a private-ownership economy, and a mixed economy are compared on the basis of identical economic fundamentals (methodological symmetry). Each economic system generates specific inefficiencies so that none dominates the others in general. The main trade-off is between the welfare loss associated with risk-taking in the private-ownership economy and the informational problems in the collectivist economy. We then use this framework to study the political economy of transition between economic systems and provide detailed welfare results.