Universal laws of human society’s income distribution

Yong Tao

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2015, vol. 435, issue C, 89-94

Abstract: General equilibrium equations in economics play the same role with many-body Newtonian equations in physics. Accordingly, each solution of the general equilibrium equations can be regarded as a possible microstate of the economic system. Since Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem and Rawls’ principle of social fairness will provide a powerful support for the hypothesis of equal probability, then the principle of maximum entropy is available in a just and equilibrium economy so that an income distribution will occur spontaneously (with the largest probability). Remarkably, some scholars have observed such an income distribution in some democratic countries, e.g. USA. This result implies that the hypothesis of equal probability may be only suitable for some “fair” systems (economic or physical systems). From this meaning, the non-equilibrium systems may be “unfair” so that the hypothesis of equal probability is unavailable.

Keywords: General equilibrium; Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem; Hypothesis of equal probability; Rawls’ fairness; Entropy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:435:y:2015:i:c:p:89-94

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2015.05.001

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