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Social Welfare, The Veil Of Ignorance And Purely Individual Risk: An Empirical Examination

In: Inequality, Welfare and Income Distribution: Experimental Approaches

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  • Kristof Bosmans
  • Erik Schokkaert

Abstract

We present the results of a questionnaire study with Belgian undergraduate students as respondents. We consider the relationship between people’s direct ethical preferences, their preferences behind a veil of ignorance, and their purely individual risk preferences over income distributions. The results reveal that, although there are important similarities between the three types of preferences, the first and third types form two extremes, while the second type lies in between the other two. Consistency of response patterns with the expected utility (EU) and rank-dependent expected utility (RDEU) models – natural analogues of the social welfare functions most frequently used in the literature on inequality and social welfare – is tested as well. For all three types of preferences the results reveal that, in the considered context, the RDEU model does not add explanatory power to the EU model. However, preferences appear to be relatively well described by some of the basic concepts from non-expected utility theory not usually considered in the income distribution literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Kristof Bosmans & Erik Schokkaert, 2004. "Social Welfare, The Veil Of Ignorance And Purely Individual Risk: An Empirical Examination," Research on Economic Inequality, in: Inequality, Welfare and Income Distribution: Experimental Approaches, pages 85-114, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:reinzz:s1049-2585(04)11005-3
    DOI: 10.1016/S1049-2585(04)11005-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Arthur E. Attema & Olivier L’Haridon & Gijs Kuilen, 2023. "An experimental investigation of social risk preferences for health," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 95(3), pages 379-403, October.
    2. Miqdad Asaria & Joan Costa-Font & Frank Cowell, 2023. "How does exposure to COVID-19 influence health and income inequality aversion?," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 61(3), pages 625-647, October.
    3. Costa-Font, Joan & Cowell, Frank A., 2024. "Specific Egalitarianism? Inequality Aversion across Domains," IZA Discussion Papers 17188, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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