How can we make collective decisions fairly? What does it mean to properly balance conflicting interests? How can we combine the well-being of individuals into a concept of societal well-being? We explore these and related ethical questions from the perspective of economic theory. A central tool is the axiomatic approach, which calls for decisions to be consistent, in precise senses, across related situations. Possible topics include: rationing problems, the Shapley value, fair division, discrimination, voting theory, foundations of utilitarianism and egalitarianism, measurement of inequality, population ethics, intergenerational equity, and concepts of equal opportunity.
How can we make collective decisions fairly? What does it mean to properly balance conflicting interests? How can we combine the well-being of individuals into a concept of societal well-being? We explore these and related ethical questions from the perspective of economic theory. A central tool is the axiomatic approach, which calls for decisions to be consistent, in precise senses, across related situations. Possible topics include: rationing problems, the Shapley value, fair division, discrimination, voting theory, foundations of utilitarianism and egalitarianism, measurement of inequality, population ethics, intergenerational equity, and concepts of equal opportunity.
