A note on the principle of normative individualism

Arbeitspapier

According to the principle of Normative Individualism, the evaluation of economic states and processes should be guided exclusively by the wishes of the individuals who are seen as the only bearer of values. Despite its intuitive appeal and its almost universal acceptance in normative economics (i.e., Welfare Economics as well as Constitutional Economics), the principle itself has received only scarce, mostly skeptical attention in the literature. It has even less been discussed from an explicitly evolutionary perspective on human preference formation processes. It is argued that it may be made compatible with such a perspective if it is transformed into a concept of developmental individualism that encompasses three sets of criteria, viz. preference-based, opportunity-based and distributive justice criteria.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Papers on Economics and Evolution ; No. 0517

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Current Heterodox Approaches: Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary ; Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
• Subject: Normative Individualism ; Normative Reasoning ; Welfare Economics ; Variable Preferences ; Responsibility

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Schubert, Christian
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Max Planck Institute of Economics
• (where): Jena
• (when): 2005

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/31817
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET