A utilitarian notion of responsibility for sustainability

Joachim Fuenfgelt () and Stefan Baumgaertner
Additional contact information
Joachim Fuenfgelt: Department of Sustainability Sciences and Department of Economics, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Germany
Stefan Baumgaertner: Department of Sustainability Sciences and Department of Economics, Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Germany
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Joachim Fünfgelt ()

No 234, Working Paper Series in Economics from University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics

Abstract: We develop and formalize a utilitarian notion of responsibility for sustainability which is inspired by Singer's (1972) principle and the Brundtland Commission?s notion of sustainability (WCED 1987). We relate this notion of responsibility to established criteria for the assessment of intertemporal societal choice, namely Pareto-efficiency, (discounted) utilitarian welfare maximization, and Brundtland-sustainability. Using a two-generationsresource- model, we find the following. Sustainability and responsibility for sustainability are equivalent if and only if sustainability is feasible. If it is not, there still exists a responsible allocation which is also Pareto-efficient. Further, the utilitarian welfare maximum without discounting always fulfills the criterion of responsibility. Discounting may be responsible to a certain extent if sustainability is feasible. If sustainability is not feasible, discounting is not responsible.

Keywords: basic needs; Brundtland; discounting; ethics; natural resources; Pareto efficiency; responsibility; Singer; sustainability; utilitarianism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 D90 Q01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-03
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations Track citations by RSS feed

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.leuphana.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Forsc ... rs/wp_234_Upload.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:lue:wpaper:234

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Paper Series in Economics from University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics
Series data maintained by Joachim Wagner ().