PFM Board

PFM Marketplace => Have you seen this? => Topic started by: Leonardo Giuffrida on December 16, 2012, 18:50:42 GMT

Title: Liberty and the post-utilitarian society
Post by: Leonardo Giuffrida on December 16, 2012, 18:50:42 GMT

I recommend you this brief but noteworthy paper written by Gilles Saint-Paul (http://www.tse-fr.eu/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=371), professor of Economics in the department where I am currently taking a Master of Art in Economics. Here, he illustrates how new developments in behavioural economics have been leading to a post-utilitarianism which accepts paternalistic interventions by the state via Pigovian taxes, direct bans or new obligations.

here is the link

http://www.tse-fr.eu/images/doc/wp/macro/wp_tse_334.pdf


                                                   

Title: Re: Liberty and the post-utilitarian society
Post by: STONE on December 19, 2012, 21:06:12 GMT

Thanks Leonardo, you have reminded me just how tricky it is to maximise a welfare function subject to constraints - as I recall from when I studied the tricky bit was about who wrote the social welfare function.  I wish I had the time you may have to re-read Amartya Sen on Social Welfare etc.  I might add that the economist's job is not to make policy but to make it work as well as the policy maker intended.