Tjalling Koopmans Quote

One can in particular interpret the proposition as a statement conditions under which the simplicity of incentive structure and the economies of information handling characteristic of a competitive market organization can be secured without loss of efficiency of allocation... The price system carries to each producer, resource holder, or consumer a summary of information about the production possibilities, resource availabilities and preferences of all other decision makers. Under the conditions postulated, this summary is all that is needed to keep all decision makers reconciled with a Pareto optimal state once it has been established.

p. 53, as cited in: Harold Kincaid, Don Ross (2009) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Economics. p. 128 - Three Essays (1957)