This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Information Invariance in Variable-Population Social-Choice Problems

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Charles Blackorby
Walter Bossert
David Donaldson

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

We examine the possibilities of extending Sen's taxonomy of fixed- population information assumptions regarding the measurability and interpersonal comparability of individual utilities to social-choice problems where the population may vary. It is shown that in order to avoid impossibility results, more restrictive assumptions than in the fixed-population framework are required. We provide characterizations of variable-population social-welfare orderings based on information assumptions, and we suggest a way of generating the required informational environment by means of norms which impose a domain restriction on the set of possible utility

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://web.arts.ubc.ca/econ/DP9707.pdf
Our checks indicate that this address may not be valid because: 404 Not Found. If this is indeed the case, please notify (Maureen Chin)
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by UBC Department of Economics in its series Old UBC Departmental Papers with number 9707.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length: 25 pages
Date of creation: Feb 1997
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:ubc:bcecwp:9707

Contact details of provider:

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Maureen Chin).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

References listed on IDEAS
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. Sen, Amartya, 1974. "Informational bases of alternative welfare approaches : Aggregation and income distribution," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 387-403, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Sen, Amartya K, 1977. "On Weights and Measures: Informational Constraints in Social Welfare Analysis," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 45(7), pages 1539-72, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Walter Bossert, 1996. "Opportunity sets and individual well-being," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 97-112. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Blackorby, Charles & Bossert, Walter & Donaldson, David, 1995. "Intertemporal Population Ethics: Critical-Level Utilitarian Principles," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH.
    Other versions:
  5. Blackorby, Charles & Bossert, Walter & Donaldson, David, 1997. "Birth-Date Dependent Population Ethics: Critical-Level Principles," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 77(2), pages 260-284, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Bossert, Walter & Stehling, Frank, 1992. "A Remark on Admissible Transformations for Interpersonally Comparable Utilities," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 33(3), pages 739-44, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Blackorby, C. & Bossert, W. & Donaldson, D., 1996. "Intertemporally Consistent Population Ethics: Birth-Date Dependent Classical Principles," G.R.E.Q.A.M. 96a23, Universite Aix-Marseille III.
  8. Blackorby, C. & Bossert, W. & Donaldson, D., 1995. "Uncertainty and Critical-Level Population Principles: A Static Model," UBC Departmental Archives 95-42, UBC Department of Economics.
    Other versions:
  9. Gevers, Louis, 1979. "On Interpersonal Comparability and Social Welfare Orderings," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(1), pages 75-89, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Roberts, Kevin W S, 1980. "Possibility Theorems with Interpersonally Comparable Welfare Levels," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(2), pages 409-20, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. BLACKORBY, Charles & BOSSERT, Walter & DONALDSON, David, 2006. "Population Ethics," Cahiers de recherche 2006-15, Universite de Montreal, Departement de sciences economiques. [Downloadable!]
  12. Bossert, W. & Stehling, F., 1989. "On The Uniqueness Of Cardinally Interpreted Utility Functions," Papers 8919, Tilburg - Center for Economic Research.
  13. Deschamps, Robert & Gevers, Louis, 1978. "Leximin and utilitarian rules: A joint characterization," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 143-163, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Blackorby, Charles & Donaldson, David, 1984. "Social criteria for evaluating population change," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1-2), pages 13-33, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Blackorby, Charles & Donaldson, David, 1982. "Ratio-Scale and Translation-Scale Full Interpersonal Comparability without Domain Restrictions: Admissible Social-Evaluation Functions," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 23(2), pages 249-68, June.
  16. Blackorby, C. & Bossert, W. & Donaldson, D., 1994. "Leximin Population Ethics," UBC Departmental Archives 94-30, UBC Department of Economics.
    Other versions:
  17. Ng, Yew-Kwang, 1986. "Social criteria for evaluating population change: An alternative to the Blackorby-Donaldson criterion," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 375-381, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Hammond, Peter J, 1979. "Equity in Two Person Situations: Some Consequences," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(5), pages 1127-35, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Bossert, Walter, 1990. "Social evaluation with variable population size: an alternative concept," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 143-158, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Walter Bossert & John A. Weymark, . "Utility in Social Choice," Old UBC Departmental Papers 9623, UBC Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  21. Blackorby, Charles & Donaldson, David & Weymark, John A, 1984. "Social Choice with Interpersonal Utility Comparisons: A Diagrammatic Introduction," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 25(2), pages 327-56, June.
  22. Bossert, W., 1989. "On Intra-And Interpersonal Utility Comparisons," UBC Departmental Archives 89-25, UBC Department of Economics.
  23. d'Aspremont, Claude & Gevers, Louis, 1977. "Equity and the Informational Basis of Collective Choice," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 44(2), pages 199-209, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  24. Roberts, Kevin W S, 1980. "Interpersonal Comparability and Social Choice Theory," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(2), pages 421-39, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

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. BLACKORBY, Charles & BOSSERT, Walter & DONALDSON, David, 2003. "Harsanyi’s Social Aggregation Theorem : A Multi-Profile Approach with Variable-Population Extensions," Cahiers de recherche 03-2003, Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en économie quantitative, CIREQ. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Charles Blackorby, & Walter Bossert & David Donaldson,, . "Price-Independent Welfare Precriptions and Population Size," Discussion Papers 97/17, University of Nottingham, School of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? The most prolific authors have over 400 items listed on IDEAS.

This page was last updated on 2008-9-2.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.