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Other-Regarding Preferences in General Equilibrium

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Author Info
Dufwenberg, Martin
Heidhues, Paul
Kirchsteiger, Georg
Riedel, Frank
Sobel, Joel

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Abstract

We study competitive market outcomes in economies where agents have other-regarding preferences. We identify a separability condition on monotone preferences that is necessary and sufficient for one's own demand to be independent of the allocations and characteristics of other agents in the economy. Given separability, it is impossible to identify other-regarding preferences from market behaviour: agents behave as if they had classical preferences that depend only on own consumption in competitive equilibrium. If preferences, in addition, depend only on the final allocation of consumption in society, the Second Welfare Theorem holds as long as an increase in resources can be distributed such that all agents are better off. Nevertheless, the First Welfare Theorem generally does not hold. Allowing agents to care about their own consumption and the distribution of consumption possibilities in the economy, we provide a condition under which agents have no incentive to make direct transfers, and show that this condition implies that competitive equilibria are efficient given prices.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 6815.

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Date of creation: May 2008
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:6815

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Related research
Keywords: markets; other-regarding preferences; self-interest; welfare;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D5 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium
D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism

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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Ernst Fehr & Klaus M. Schmidt, 2009. "On Inequity Aversion A Reply to Binmore and Shaked," Discussion Papers 276, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Joel Sobel, 2009. "Generous actors, selfish actions: markets with other-regarding preferences," International Review of Economics, Springer, vol. 56(1), pages 3-16, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Klaus M. Schmidt, 2009. "The Role of Experiments for the Development of Economic Theories," Discussion Papers 252, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
  4. Abhijit Ramalingam & Michael Rauh, 2008. "Firms, Markets, and the Work Ethic," Working Papers 2008-04, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy. [Downloadable!]
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