ABSTRACT
A flow system such as that depicted in Barth's paper can be represented in matrix form. If the matrix can be quantified, the significance of changes in particular coefficients on the total pattern of ‘flows’ can be measured. Such matrices are used in economics, e.g. for the analysis of transactions within an economy; for the analysis of a firm's production possibilities; or for the analysis of general equilibrium models of production and exchange. We propose here to present what might be called the economic homologue of the Barth model. In doing so we are not changing Barth's model in any way that adds to, subtracts from, or modifies the information that he gives us in the original paper. In that sense we are not making it more ‘economic’ than it is in his own presentation. We are, however, using a more rigorous framework of analysis. As a result, we need to be more precise in the formulation of relations, and we see that the model forces us to ask questions which we might not otherwise have asked. In relation to the original discussion it throws light on the extent to which it is meaningful to designate ‘spheres’. Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to obtain data from Darfur for the completion of the matrix and no quantitative analysis has been carried out. We do discuss, however, problems of quantification and the possibilities of quantitative analysis both with regard to the implications of changes in the situation confronting individuals and with regard to the general equilibrium analysis of the combined effects of individuals’ behaviour.
