Social diversification, injustices, and Pareto optimality with non-binary preferences

Berdellima, Arian and Naqvi, Nadeem (2012): Social diversification, injustices, and Pareto optimality with non-binary preferences.

Abstract

We prove the existence of a Pareto optimal state of a finite society that has socially differentiated persons, each with non-binary personal preferences that quasi-order a finite set of alternatives. Everybody engages in a volitional act of choice by maximization of non-binary preferences. As a consequence of interpersonal interaction among social creatures, the social interaction outcome defined as belonging to a nonempty social maximal set exists, and thus is Pareto optimal. Injustices inflicted by one group of persons upon a socially distinct one, arising from social diversification, are, however, consistent with such a collective outcome. (95 words)

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: non-binary choice; maximization; Pareto optimality; social identity; justice; discrimination
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D13 - Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation; D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D63 - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement; D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D74 - Conflict ; Conflict Resolution ; Alliances ; Revolutions; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J7 - Labor Discrimination > J71 - Discrimination; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J15 - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants ; Non-labor Discrimination; D - Microeconomics > D0 - General > D01 - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J16 - Economics of Gender ; Non-labor Discrimination

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