Functional equations and population ethics
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: Functional equations and population ethics
zbMATH Open document ID: 0958.91010
author: Charles Blackorby
author: Walter Bossert
author: David Donaldson
published in: Aequationes Mathematicae
publication date: 2001-03-20T00:00:00Z
review text: The authors offer characterizations of social orderings of different states of variable size. The orderings may depend on length of life and lifetime utility of individuals. Axioms such as Independence of the Utilities of the Dead, Pareto Conditions, Anonimity Conditions (independence under permutation of individuals and of lifetimes), Continuity, (Weak) Existence of Critical Levels (rules out degenerate cases), Lifetime Substitution (existence of trade-offs between length of life and lifetime utility) are stated and consequences explored. The functional equations applied are of \(f(x)+g(y) = h(x+y)\) (Pexider) and \(F[G(x,y),z]=H[x,K(y,z)]\) (generalized associativity) types. The main results are two inequalities as necessary and sufficient conditions for two systems of axioms to be satisfied.
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 91B14
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 39B22
zbMATH DE Number: 1383754
zbMATH Keywords: functional equations
zbMATH Keywords: Pexider equation
zbMATH Keywords: generalized assocativity and bisymmetry equations
zbMATH Keywords: Social ordering
zbMATH Keywords: Length of life
zbMATH Keywords: lifetime utilities
reviewed by: János Aczél
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: s000100050114
OpenAlex ID: W2115031497
DOI: 10.1007/S000100050114
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1383754