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Animal Welfare and Social Decisions

Author Info

  • Aronsson, Thomas

    (...)

  • Johansson-Stenman, Olof

    ()

    (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the standard welfare economics assumption of anthropocentric welfarism, i.e., that only human well-being counts intrinsically. Alternatives where animal welfare matters intrinsically are explored theoretically, based on moral philosophical literature, and empirically where the general public‘s ethical preferences are measured through a survey with a representative sample in Sweden. It is concluded that welfare economics should be generalized in order to encompass the idea that animal welfare should sometimes matter intrinsically.

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/24146
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Paper provided by University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers in Economics with number 485.

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Length: 44 pages
Date of creation: 17 Jan 2011
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0485
Contact details of provider: Postal:
Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, Box 640, SE 405 30 GÖTEBORG, Sweden

Phone: 031-773 10 00
Web page: http://www.handels.gu.se/econ/

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Keywords: animal welfare; anthropocentrism; welfarism; ethics; ethical preferences; cost-benefit analysis;

Find related papers by JEL classification:

  • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
  • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
  • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

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