Directional distance functions and social welfare: Some axiomatic and dual properties

Walter Briec, Audrey Dumas and Ayman Mekki

Mathematical Social Sciences, 2021, vol. 113, issue C, 181-190

Abstract: The paper introduces in social choice theory a directional distance function (DDF) that quantifies the level of inefficiency of a given allocation with respect to the utility possibilities frontier. The paper shows that the DDF has a simple geometric interpretation and involves a complete transitive preference relation. If the uility possibilities set is not convex, it is shown that the Rawls welfare function is dual (in a certain sense) to the DDF. Finally a more general class of distance functions is introduced that is shown to be closely related to a large class of welfare functions widely used in the study of economic inequality.

Keywords: Social welfare functions; Directional distance function; Non-convexity duality; Utility possibilities set; Negishi theorem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016548962100072X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

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: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:matsoc:v:113:y:2021:i:c:p:181-190

DOI: 10.1016/j.mathsocsci.2021.07.004

Access Statistics for this article

Mathematical Social Sciences is currently edited by J.-F. Laslier

More articles in Mathematical Social Sciences from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().