Behavioural Welfare Economics: Does 'Behavioural Optimality' Matter?

Joan Costa-Font

CESifo Economic Studies, 2011, vol. 57, issue 4, 551-559

Abstract: This editorial article argues that the development of behavioural economics gives rise to a wide re-interpretation of the field of welfare economics. More specifically, social efficiency criteria under quasi-rationality might well diverge from that of full rationality. This arguably has at least two effects. First, public policy evaluation, especially standard cost--benefit analysis, ought to be reinterpreted accommodating such 'behavioural optimality' restrictions. Second, the acceptance of 'behavioural market failures' alongside of 'behavioural political failures' can give rise to new reasons for public sector intervention. The papers of this special issue can be seen as paradigmatic examples of the former and/or the latter, and more generally suggest that 'behavioural optimality' cannot be disregarded. (JEL codes: D03, D6) Copyright The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Ifo Institute for Economic Research, Munich. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.

Date: 2011
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/cesifo/ifr028 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

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:oup:cesifo:v:57:y:2011:i:4:p:551-559

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

CESifo Economic Studies is currently edited by Panu Poutvaara

More articles in CESifo Economic Studies from CESifo Group Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().