Any Non-Individualistic Social Welfare Function Violates the Pareto Principle
Working Paper 7051
DOI 10.3386/w7051
Issue Date
The public at large, many policymakers, and some economists hold views of social welfare that attach some importance to factors other than individuals' utilities. This note shows that any such non-individualistic notion of social welfare conflicts with the Pareto principle.
Published Versions
Kaplow, Louis and Steven Shavell. "Any Non-Welfarist Method Of Policy Assessment Violates The Pareto Principle," Journal of Political Economy, 2001, v109(2,Apr), 281-286.