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Population-Adjusted Egalitarianism

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  • Zuber, Stéphane

Abstract

Egalitarianism focuses on the well-being of the worst-off person. It has attracted a lot of attention in economic theory, for instance when dealing with the sustainable intertemporal allocation of resources. Economic theory has formalized egalitarianism through the Maximin and Leximin criteria, but it is not clear how they should be applied when population size may vary. In this paper, I present possible justifications of egalitarianism when considering populations with variable sizes. I then propose new versions of egalitarianism that encompass many views on how to trade-off population size and well-being. I discuss some implications of egalitarianism for optimal population size. I first describe how population ethical views affects population growth. In a model with natural resources, I then show that utilitarianism always recommend a larger population for low levels of resources, but that this conclusion may not hold true for larger levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Zuber, Stéphane, 2019. "Population-Adjusted Egalitarianism," SocArXiv ydg3f_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:ydg3f_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/ydg3f_v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blackorby,Charles & Bossert,Walter & Donaldson,David J., 2005. "Population Issues in Social Choice Theory, Welfare Economics, and Ethics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521532587, January.
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    4. Dean Spears, 2017. "Making people happy or making happy people? Questionnaire-experimental studies of population ethics and policy," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 49(1), pages 145-169, June.
    5. Fleurbaey,Marc & Maniquet,François, 2011. "A Theory of Fairness and Social Welfare," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521887427, November.
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