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Two Or Three Problems Concerning Social Stability And Our Measures Of Welfare: What Can Economists Learn From Other Social Sciences?

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  • TAKENORI INOKI

Abstract

This paper takes up several problems that are related to psychology, political science and ethics—disciplines that we regard as neighbours on the boundaries of economics. I pay particular attention to such topics as mass psychology and social stability, democracy and economic performance and the notions of wellbeing and happiness. After laying out some of the history of academic discourse on these problems and notions, I reconsider the nature of discrepancy between microlevel motivations and macrolevel phenomena, trade‐offs between equality and liberty and the problem of measurement of social welfare and “happiness” from the perspective of “dissociation of intention and consequence”.

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  • Takenori Inoki, 2008. "Two Or Three Problems Concerning Social Stability And Our Measures Of Welfare: What Can Economists Learn From Other Social Sciences?," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 59(1), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jecrev:v:59:y:2008:i:1:p:1-16
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-5876.2007.00444.x
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