Exploring infinite population utilitarianism under strong anonymity

Geir Asheim, Kohei Kamaga () and Stéphane Zuber ()
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Kohei Kamaga: Sophia University [Tokyo]
Stéphane Zuber: PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: We examine utilitarian criteria for evaluating profiles of well-being among infinitely many individuals. Motivated by the non-existence of a natural 1-to-1 correspondence between people when alternatives have different population structures, with a different number of people in each generation, we impose equal treatment in the form of Strong Anonymity. We demonstrate how a novel criterion, Strongly Anonymous Utilitarianism, can be applied in the Ramsey model, leading to an efficient and sustainable stream. We show how the criterion is the result of combining Strong Anonymity with other regularity axioms (Monotonicity, Finite Completeness, and continuity axioms) as well as axioms of equity, population ethics, sensitivity, and separability. We relate it to other strongly anonymous utilitarian criteria.

Keywords: Utilitarianism; Intergenerational equity; Population ethics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-upt
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04828788v1
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Published in Economic Theory, 2024, ⟨10.1007/s00199-024-01620-6⟩

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Related works:
Working Paper: Exploring infinite population utilitarianism under strong anonymity (2024)
Working Paper: Exploring infinite population utilitarianism under strong anonymity (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:pseptp:halshs-04828788

DOI: 10.1007/s00199-024-01620-6

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