Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

Memorandum,
Oslo University, Department of Economics

No 23/2012: Escaping the Repugnant Conclusion: Rank-discounted Utilitarianism with Variable Population

Geir B. Asheim () and Stephane Zuber ()
Additional contact information
Geir B. Asheim: Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo, Postal: Department of Economics, University of Oslo, P.O Box 1095 Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway
Stephane Zuber: CERSES, Postal: CERSES, Universite Paris Descartes , FRANCE

Abstract: Evaluation of climate policies and other issues requires a variable population setting where population is endogenously determined. We propose and axiomatize the rank-discounted critical-level utilitarian social welfare order. It is shown to ll out the space between critical-level utilitarianism and (a version of) critical-level leximin. Moreover, it satis fies many conditions and principles used to evaluate variable population criteria. In particular, it avoids the repugnant conclusion even when the critical level is zero.

Keywords: Social evaluation; population ethics; critical-level utilitarianism; social discounting

JEL-codes: D63; D71; H43; Q56

24 pages, August 31, 2012

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