Wulf Gaertner

Individual Rights Revisited

Since Sens contribution on the impossibility of a Paretian liberal, his formulation of libertarian rights has been under debate. In this paper, we highlight some important strands in this debate, and achieve some conceptual clarification of the different and often incompatible views of individual rights. We demonstrate in terms of a counter-example and general reasoning that Sens concept can, more often than not, be inconsistent with our intuitive view of rights and fails to capture important categories of rights. An alternative formulation in terms of game form is introduced, and its relative merit vis-a-vis Sens formulation is discussed.

Never choose the uniquely largest A Characterization

SummaryIn this paper we characterize choice behaviour that picks the second largest element if there is a uniquely largest; otherwise, the largest elements are picked. Having defined our choice function, we offer a complete characterization of the latter in terms of pure choice function conditions. Similarities to and divergences from conventional choice theory are explained. We discuss the motivations underlying our exercise and provide several examples for the axiomatized choice behaviour.

Equity, Responsibility and the Cultural Dimension

We present questionnaire studies concerning equity judgments based on an axiom that underlies Rawlss difference principle. Our investigation, spanning over a period of fifteen years, was run at German, Austrian and Slovenian universities. We also modified two of our basic scenarios to check for responsibility aspects. Additionally, we included information on socio-demographic characteristics of respondents in a probit model. Answers depend on cultural environments, but results indicate some convergence over time. Responsibility considerations are important if they can be attributed to particular persons. Although overall explanatory power of demographic attributes is low, we observe significant gender differences.

Cross-cultural equity evaluations: A questionnaire-experimental approach

Abstract The theoretical background of the empirical investigations to be reported in this paper are positionalist aggregation functions which are numerically representable. The broad Borda rule is proposed as an aggregation mechanism for the case of a complete profile of the so-called individual extended orderings. We modify this rule to reflect considerations of equity. Students from Germany, Israel, the Baltic States, Austria and Slovenia were confronted with questionnaires that describe ‘situations’, most of which reflect different aspects of needs. All situations start from the preference structure which underlies an equity axiom. We are focussing on the following three points: (a) What is the percentage of respondents satisfying the equity axiom? (b) How often do the students revise their initial decision when more and more people join the side of the more advantaged? (c) Are there major differences across countries and cultures?

To be or not to be involved: a questionnaire-experimental view on Harsanyi’s utilitarian ethics

According to standard theory founded on Harsanyi (J Polit Econ 61:434–435, 1953; 63:309–321, 1955) a social welfare function can be appropriately based on the individual’s approach to choice under uncertainty. We investigate how people really do rank distributions in terms of welfare. According to Harsanyi, the evaluation can be done from the standpoint of an uninvolved external judge, a public official, for example, or by a person who knows that she holds one of the positions in society, with an equal chance for any of the available positions. Are these two structures to be viewed differently? We use a questionnaire experiment to focus on the two different interpretations of the Harsanyi approach. There are important, systematic differences that transcend the cultural background of respondents.

A general scoring rule

This paper studies a ranking rule of the following type axiomatically: each voter places k candidates into n categories with ranks from n to 1 attached to these categories, the candidate(s) with the highest aggregate score is (are) the winner(s). We show that it is characterized by a monotonicity condition and a multi-stage cancellation property.

Income inequality, risk, and the transfer principle : a questionnaire-experimental investigation

Abstract This paper is about distributional perceptions with respect to inequality and risk. The Pigou–Dalton principle of transfers is one of the fundamental axioms in the analysis of inequality. We examine to what degree it is followed by people who evaluate income distributions and, moreover, whether it also plays a role in risk comparisons. Furthermore, we ask whether information on the width of the income interval matters in the sense that fulfillment of the transfer principle is, perhaps, more likely whenever, for example, transfers occur within a wide income interval. The questionnaire results we discuss are based on the responses of over 300 students from Germany.

Social choice and bargaining perspectives on distributive justice

1: Introduction.- 2: Distributive Judgments.- 3: Models of Bargaining and Distributive Justice.- 4: Axiomatic Characterizations of Gauthiers Bargaining Solution.- 5: Distributive Results in Bargaining Experiments.- Author Index.

Periodic and aperiodic consumer behavior

Various properties of nonlinear difference equations are analysed within the framework of a model of endogenous preference change. Theorems by Sarkovskii and Li and Yorke show that simple first order nonlinear difference equations exhibit a wide range of dynamical behavior: Stable points, a hierarchy of stable cycles, unstable cycles, and an uncountable set of aperiodic points. The economic analysis in this paper focuses in particular on the sequence of stable cycles and questions about rationality and consistent behavior over time within a structure of utility maximization.

A non-linear model of interdependent consumer behaviour

Abstract Interdependent consumer behaviour in R 2 is studied in this paper. While for various parameter constellations the Feigenbaum scenario, well-known from R 1 is observed, there are quite remarkable reversals of a bifurcation for other values of the systems parameters.