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Unequal Uncertainties and Uncertain Inequalities : An Axiomatic Approach

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  • Thibault Gadjos

    (Crest)

  • Eric Maurin

    (Crest)

Abstract

In this paper, we provide an axiomatic characterization of social welfare functions for uncertain incomes. Our most general result is that a small number of reasonable assumptions regarding welfare orderings under uncertainty rule out pure ex ante as well as pure ex post evaluations. Any social welfare function that satisfies these axioms should lie strictly between the ex ante and the ex post evaluations of income distributions. We also provide an axiomatic characterization of the weighted average of the minimum and the maximum of ex post and the ex ante evaluations.
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  • Thibault Gadjos & Eric Maurin, 2002. "Unequal Uncertainties and Uncertain Inequalities : An Axiomatic Approach," Working Papers 2002-32, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
  • Handle: RePEc:crs:wpaper:2002-32
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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