A concern about low relative income, and the alignment of utilitarianism with egalitarianism

A utilitarian social planner who maximizes social welfare assigns the available income to those who are most efficient in converting income into utility. However, when individuals are concerned about their income falling behind the incomes of others, the optimal income distribution under utilitarianism is equality of incomes.

MoreLess

Year of publication:	2012
Authors:	Stark, Oded ; Kobus, Martyna ; Jakubek, Marcin
Published in:	Economics Letters. - Elsevier, ISSN 0165-1765. - Vol. 114.2012, 3, p. 235-238
Publisher:	Elsevier
Subject:	Utilitarianism \| Income equality \| Social welfare maximization \| Relative income

More details

Type of publication:	Article
Classification:	H0 - Public Economics. General ; I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare. General ; I30 - Welfare and Poverty. General ; I31 - General Welfare; Basic Needs; Quality of Life
Source:	RePEc - Research Papers in Economics

Persistent link: https://ebvufind01.dmz1.zbw.eu/10010572193