Non-paternalistic altruism and welfare economics

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Flores, NE
• 署名单位: University of Colorado System; University of Colorado Boulder
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/S0047-2727(00)00162-6
• 发表日期: 2002
• 页码: 293-305
• 关键词: Public goods; altruism; Cost-benefit analysis

摘要

Bergstrom showed that a necessary condition for a Pareto optimum with non-paternalistic altruism is classification as a selfish Pareto optimum. This paper shows that Bergstrom's result does not generalize to the benefit-cost analysis of generic changes in public goods. There may exist good projects that will be rejected by a selfish-benefit cost test, a selfish test error. Selfish test error is linked to preference interdependence between public goods and income distribution, the same condition Musgrave identified as problematic for optimal public goods provision without altruism, Transferable selfish utilities provide freedom from selfish test error. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.