Intergenerational Equity and Infinite-Population Ethics: a Survey

Abstract

This article surveys the recent literature on infinite-horizon intergenerational social welfare and infinite-population ethics, reviewing the negative and positive results about the existence or constructibility of social preference relations and social welfare functions for infinite populations. Impossibility results primarily refer to the tension between Pareto and Anonymity (or inequality aversion). Positive results include characterizations of core social preference relations with which any relation satisfying desirable properties must be compatible, as well as overtaking criteria, asymptotic criteria, averaging criteria, hyperreal criteria, and criteria that focus on the worst-off.

JEL Classification: D63, D70, D90