To Be or not To Be Involved:A Questionnaire-Experimental View on Harsanyi’sUtilitarian Ethics

Yoram Amiel, Frank Cowell (f.cowell@lse.ac.uk) and Wulf Gaertner

STICERD - Distributional Analysis Research Programme Papers from Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE

Abstract: According to standard theory founded on Harsanyi (1953, 1955) a social welfarefunction can be appropriately based on the individual's approach to choice underuncertainty. We investigate whether people really do rank distributions according tothe same principles irrespective of whether the comparison involves money payoffs ina risky situation or the distribution of income among persons. We use a questionnaireexperiment to focus on the two different interpretations of the Harsanyi approach.There are important, systematic differences that transcend the cultural background ofrespondents.

Keywords: Impartial observer theorem; utilitarianism; welfare. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C13 D63 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-06
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Related works:
Journal Article: To be or not to be involved: a questionnaire-experimental view on Harsanyi’s utilitarian ethics (2009)
Working Paper: To be or not to be involved: a questionnaire-experimental view on Harsanyi's utilitarian ethics (2006)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cep:stidar:85

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