Skip to main content

Rank

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
  • 17 Accesses

Abstract

All men are equal, but members of an organization are not. Organizations are associations of persons for the achievement of tasks that exceed the capacity of an individual. These tasks must, therefore, be subdivided and the subtasks assigned to certain individual organization members, the operatives.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   8,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Alchian, A.A., and H. Demsetz. 1972. Production, information costs, and economic organization. American Economic Review 62: 777–795.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckmann, M.J. 1978. Rank in organizations. In Lecture notes in economics and mathematical systems, no. 161. Berlin/New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckmann, M.J. 1983. Tinbergen lectures on organization theory. Berlin/New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Calvo, G., and S. Wellisz. 1978. Supervision, loss of control and the optimum size of the firm. Journal of Political Economy 86(5): 943–952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, B. 1970. The profession of government, 4th ed. London: Unwin University Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crémer, J. 1980. A partial theory of the optimal organization of bureaucracy. Bell Journal of Economics 11(2): 683–693.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hess, J.D. 1983. The economics of organization. Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • March, J., and H.A. Simon. 1958. Organizations. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marschak, J. 1975. Economics of organizational systems. In Man and computer, ed. T. Marvis. Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mirrlees, J. 1976. The optimal structure of incentives and authority within an organization. Bell Journal of Economics 7: 105–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radner, R. 1986. Decentralization and incentives. In Information, incentives, and economic mechanisms: Essays in honor of Leonid Hurwicz, ed. T. Groves, R. Radner, and S. Reiter. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosen, S. 1982. Authority, control and the distribution of earnings. Bell Journal of Economics 13(2): 311–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H. 1948. Administrative behavior. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H. 1951. A formal theory of the employment relationship. Econometrica 19: 293–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, A.M. 1975. Incentives, risk, and information: notes towards a theory of hierarchy. Bell Journal of Economics 6(2): 552–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuck, R.H. 1954. An essay on the economic theory of rank. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. 1925. The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Trans. A.M. Henderson and T. Parsons, ed. T. Parsons. New York: Oxford University Press, 1947.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O.E. 1975. Markets and hierarchies: Analysis and antitrust implications. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O.E. 1985. The economic institutions of capitalism. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Beckmann, M.J. (2018). Rank. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1290

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics