Economic Efficiency versus Egalitarian Rights

Yew-Kwang Ng ()

Kyklos, 1988, vol. 41, issue 2, pages 215-37

Abstract: The domain of rights is full of infringements of efficiency. Apart from practical difficulties, ignorance, irrationality, and preference for inefficient procedures, are there considerations justifying such infringements? Egalitarianism does not provide a valid justification ; the argument for "a dollar is a dollar" shows that equality is be tter pursued by income taxation, even taking account of disincentive effects and second-best complications. This argument is generalized t o cover noneconomic issues. A survey of people's view of fairness sho ws that objection to efficiency is usually based on inadequate unders tanding of economics. Improvements in the effectiveness of income tax ation and in public understanding of economics justify an explanation in the economic domain where efficiency dominates. Copyright 1988 by WWZ and Helbing & Lichtenhahn Verlag AG

Date: 1988

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