Social Aggregations and Distributional Ethics

Ranking social states using individual rankings, strategic and non-strategic behaviors of individuals, ethical issues in distributional analysis.

The subject of this textbook is social choice theory and welfare economics. In addition to covering the well-known areas of the subject, it includes new issues like welfare evaluation under uncertainty, and inequality. Its easy exposition along with graphical and numerical illustrations of the concepts makes it a useful text.This book analyzes the following four distinct, although not dissimilar, areas of social choice theory and welfare economics: nonstrategic choice, Harsanyi's aggregation theorems, distributional ethics and strategic choice. While for aggregation of individual ranking of social states, whether the persons behave strategically or non-strategically, the decision making takes place under complete certainty; in the Harsanyi framework uncertainty has a significant role in the decision making process. Another ingenious characteristic of the book is the discussion of ethical approaches to evaluation of inequality arising from unequal distributions of achievements in the different dimensions of human well-being. Given its wide coverage, combined with newly added materials, end-chapter problems and bibliographical notes, the book will be helpful material for students and researchers interested in this frontline area research. Its lucid exposition, along with non-technical and graphical illustration of the concepts, use of numerical examples, makes the book a useful text.