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Extensive Social Choice and the Measurement of Group Fitness in Biological Hierarchies

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  • Walter Bossert
  • Chloe X. Qi
  • John A. Weymark

Abstract

Extensive social choice theory is used to study the problem of measuring group fitness in a two-level biological hierarchy. Both fixed and variable group size are considered. Axioms are identified that imply that the group measure satisfies a form of consequentialism in which group fitness only depends on the viabilities and fecundities of the individuals at the lower level in the hierarchy. This kind of consequentialism can take account of the group fitness advantages of germ-soma specialization, which is not possible with an alternative social choice framework proposed by Okasha, but which is an essential feature of the index of group fitness for a multicellular organism introduced by Michod, Viossat, Solari, Hurand, and Nedelcu to analyze the unicellular-multicellular evolutionary transition. The new framework is also used to analyze the fitness decoupling between levels that takes place during an evolutionary transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Walter Bossert & Chloe X. Qi & John A. Weymark, 2012. "Extensive Social Choice and the Measurement of Group Fitness in Biological Hierarchies," Cahiers de recherche 08-2012, Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en économie quantitative, CIREQ.
    • Handle: RePEc:mtl:montec:08-2012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blackorby,Charles & Bossert,Walter & Donaldson,David J., 2005. "Population Issues in Social Choice Theory, Welfare Economics, and Ethics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521532587, January.
    2. Erwin Ooghe & Luc Lauwers, 2005. "Non-dictatorial extensive social choice," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 25(3), pages 721-743, April.
    3. Blackorby, Charles & Donaldson, David, 1984. "Social criteria for evaluating population change," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1-2), pages 13-33, November.
    4. Basu, K. & Pattanaik, P. K. & Suzumura, K. (ed.), 1995. "Choice, Welfare, and Development: A Festschrift for Amartya K. Sen," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198287896.
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    1. Walter Bossert & Chloe X. Qi & John A. Weymark, 2012. "An Axiomatic Characterization of the MVSHN Group Fitness Ordering," Cahiers de recherche 16-2012, Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en économie quantitative, CIREQ.

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