An Introduction to Hypergeometric Functions for Economists.

Hypergeometric functions are a generalization of exponential functions. They are explicit, computable functions that can also be manipulated analytically. The functions and series we use in quantitative economics are all special cases of them. In this paper, a unified approach to hypergeometic functions is given. As a result, some potentially useful general applications emerge such as in statistical distribution theory, applied econonometrics and economic theory. The greatest benefit from using these functions stems from the fact that they provide the parsimonious explicit (and interpretable) solutions to a wide range of general problems.