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Welfare comparisons between societies with different population sizes and environmental characteristics

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To provide a normative foundation for transfers between different societies, one needs information on the “per capita welfare” in different societies, having different population sizes and environmental characteristics. This paper reviews various methods for doing such comparisons. The main conclusion of the analysis is that there appears to be no practical alternative to applying real comprehensive per capita NNP. This is a per capita variant of Weitzman’s stationary welfare equivalent of future utility. Welfare comparisons between different societies must be made in local real prices calculated according to “purchasing-power-parity”, where non-traded environmental amenities may play an important role.

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  • Asheim, Geir B., 2005. "Welfare comparisons between societies with different population sizes and environmental characteristics," Memorandum 25/2005, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:osloec:2005_025
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    File URL: http://www.sv.uio.no/econ/english/research/unpublished-works/working-papers/pdf-files/2005/Memo-25-2005.pdf
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    2. Dasgupta, Partha & Mäler, Karl-Göran, 2000. "Net national product, wealth, and social well-being," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(1), pages 69-93, February.
    3. Geir Asheim, 2004. "Green national accounting with a changing population," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 23(3), pages 601-619, March.
    4. Geir B. Asheim, 2003. "Green national accounting for welfare and sustainability:A Taxonomy Of Assumptions And Results," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 50(2), pages 113-130, May.
    5. Li, Chuan-Zhong & Löfgren, Karl-Gustaf, 2002. "On the Choice of Metrics in Dynamic Welfare Analysis: Utility versus Money Measures," Umeå Economic Studies 590, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    6. F. A. Lutz, 1961. "The Theory of Capital," International Economic Association Series, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-08452-4 edited by D. C. Hague, December.
    7. Dasgupta, Partha, 2001. "Valuing Objects and Evaluating Policies in Imperfect Economies," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 111(471), pages 1-29, May.
    8. Martin L. Weitzman, 2001. "A Contribution to the Theory of Welfare Accounting," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 103(1), pages 1-23, March.
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    1. Asheim, Geir B., 2007. "Can NNP be used for welfare comparisons?," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(1), pages 11-31, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    National accounting; Population; Dynamic welfare.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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