| The article deals with the cost function at a mathematical level that only requires knowledge of differentials, but except for that, it keeps rigor at a high level. It only states theorems that require long proofs. The article justifies the existence of the cost function, points out its properties, and shows how it relates with the production function in the sense that one is the dual to the other. The article discusses partial and scale elasticities, both in the context of production and cost functions. Whenever profit is maximized, one is the reciprocal of the other. The cost function has not a defined form in the sense that it can be deduced from the axioms of production theory. But the articles points out the plausibility of the form that resembles an... |
