Consistency in collective decision-making under uncertainty: an axiomatic approach

Stéphane Gonzalez () and Le-Nhat-Linh Huynh ()
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Stéphane Gonzalez: Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Université Lumière Lyon 2, emlyon business school, GATE, 42023 Lyon, France
Le-Nhat-Linh Huynh: Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Université Lumière Lyon 2, emlyon business school, GATE, 42023 Lyon, France

No 2604, Working Papers from Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Étienne (GATE Lyon St-Étienne), Université de Lyon

Abstract: We study collective decision-making when individual preferences depend on the state of the world. The paper introduces an axiom, Aggregation Consistency, linking the way society aggregates utilities across individuals with the way each individual aggregates outcomes across states. The axiom requires that any alternative preferred in every realized state remains preferred before uncertainty is resolved. Combined with standard social choice and aggregation principles, it implies that the same functional form must govern both interpersonal and intrapersonal aggregation. Under familiar conditions, this yields two canonical families of solutions: generalized utilitarian rules based on quasi-arithmetic means, and Rawlsian rules based on minimum or maximum operators. The analysis unifies utilitarian and egalitarian criteria within a single axiomatic framework for collective choice under uncertainty.

Date: 2026
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