Introducing Procedural Utility: Not Only What, But Also How Matters
Zurich IEER Working Paper No. 129
29 Pages Posted: 3 Nov 2002
Date Written: October 2, 2002
Abstract
People not only care about outcomes, they also value the procedures which lead to the outcomes. Procedural utility is a potentially important source of human well-being. This paper aims at introducing the concept of procedural utility into economics, and argues that it should be incorporated more widely into economic theory and empirical research. Three building blocks of a concept of procedural utility are outlined and it is suggested how procedural utility can be fruitfully integrated. Evidence from a broad range of social sciences is reviewed in order to show that procedural utility is a relevant concept for economics.
Keywords: Procedural utility, outcome utility, institutions
JEL Classification: A00, A12, D60, D70
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
IZA Institute of Labor Economics
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