Fair Social Ordering, Egalitarianism, and Animal Welfare

37 Pages Posted: 2 Apr 2018 Last revised: 3 Mar 2020

See all articles by Marc Fleurbaey

Marc Fleurbaey

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Martin Van der Linden

Emory University

Date Written: September 6, 2018

Abstract

We study fairness in economies where humans consume one private good and one public good representing the welfare of other species. We show that a social evaluator cannot be egalitarian with respect to humans while always respecting humans’ unanimous preferences. One solution is to respect unanimous preferences only when it does not lead to a decrease in the welfare of other species. Social preferences satisfying these properties reveal surprising connections between concerns for other species, egalitarianism among humans, and unanimity: The latter two imply a form of dictatorship from humans with the strongest preference for the welfare of other species.

Keywords: Welfare Economics, Animal Ethics, Egalitarianism, Efficiency, Fairness

Suggested Citation

Fleurbaey, Marc and Van der Linden, Martin, Fair Social Ordering, Egalitarianism, and Animal Welfare (September 6, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3151808 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3151808

Marc Fleurbaey

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs ( email )

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

Martin Van der Linden (Contact Author)

Emory University ( email )

201 Dowman Drive
Atlanta, GA 30322
United States

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