Horizontal Information Flows in A Simple Model of Multilevel Planning

Most formal models of multilevel economic planning allow for vertical information flows but not horizontal flows between agents on the same level. This papers develops a simple model of multilevel planning where horizontal flows form an integral part of the planning procedure. The procedure is designed to have a flow cost structure, achieve greated informational decentralization, and preserve systemic stability when the normal planning breaks down and laissez-faire takes over. The procedure is compared with two other procedures in the literature that use vertical flows only. The comparative advanteages of the procedures are established and also confirmed under certain parametric variations.