Justifying social discounting: The rank-discounted utilitarian approach

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zuber, Stephane; Asheim, Geir B.
• 署名单位: Universite Paris Cite; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); University of Oslo
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC THEORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0531
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2011.08.001
• 发表日期: 2012
• 页码: 1572-1601
• 关键词: Intergenerational equity; social discounting; Discounted utilitarianism; sustainability

摘要

The discounted utilitarian criterion for infinite horizon social choice has been criticized for treating generations unequally. We propose an extended rank-discounted utilitarian (ERDU) criterion instead. The criterion amounts to discounted utilitarianism on non-decreasing streams, but it treats all generations impartially: discounting becomes the mere expression of intergenerational inequality aversion. We show that more inequality averse ERDU societies have higher social discount rates when future generations are better off. We apply the ERDU approach in two benchmark economic growth models and prove that it promotes sustainable policies that maximize discounted utilitarian welfare. (c) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.