Characterizations of Social Choice Correspondences Based on Equality of Capabilities in a Pure Exchange Economy

Norihito Sakamoto

No 4, RCNE Discussion Paper Series from Research Center for Normative Economics, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University

Abstract: This paper examines theoretical properties of Amartya Sen's capability approach in a formal model which describes a simple exchange economy with unequal abilities. Specifically, we define and axiomatically characterize the following two classes of social choice correspondences (SCCs) based on the notion of ""equality of capabilities"": (1) SCCs which assign egalitarian and efficient allocations in terms of a social preference ordering defined on capability sets; (2) SCCs which maximize an intersection of all individuals' capability sets with respect to the relation of set inclusion. Our main results show that in a single-good economy, two SCCs can be characterized by a similar combination of three requirements: principles of equal treatment, Pareto efficiency, and rank preservation. However, in a two or more goods economy, a class of SCCs maximizing an intersection of capabilities cannot be characterized by the above three principles, while they are still necessary conditions.

Keywords: capability approach; equality of capabilities; common capability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D60 D63 I30 I31 I32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2017-11
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