American Economic Journal:
Microeconomics
ISSN 1945-7669 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7685 (Online)
The Utilitarian Relevance of the Aggregation Theorem
American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
(pp. 289–306)
Abstract
Harsanyi (1955) invested his Aggregation Theorem and Impartial Observer Theorem with utilitarian sense, but Sen (1986) described them as "representation theorems" with little ethical import. This critical view has never been subjected to full analytical scrutiny. The formal argument we provide here supports the utilitarian relevance of the Aggregation Theorem. Following a hint made by Sen himself, we posit an exogeneous utilitarian ordering that evaluates riskless options by the sum of individual utilities, and we show that any social observer who obeys the conditions of the Aggregation Theorem evaluates social states in terms of a weighted variant of this utilitarian sum.Citation
Fleurbaey, Marc, and Philippe Mongin. 2016. "The Utilitarian Relevance of the Aggregation Theorem." American Economic Journal: Microeconomics 8 (3): 289–306. DOI: 10.1257/mic.20140238Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D63 Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
- D71 Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations