Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T05:35:11.141Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

EXTERNAL NORMS AND RATIONALITY OF CHOICE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2009

Walter Bossert  and
Kotaro Suzumura
Walter Bossert
Affiliation:
University of Montréal
Kotaro Suzumura
Affiliation:
Waseda University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Ever since Sen criticized the notion of internal consistency of choice, there exists a widespread perception that the standard rationalizability approach to the theory of choice has difficulties in coping with the existence of external norms. We introduce a concept of norm-conditional rationalizability and show that external norms can be made compatible with the methods underlying the traditional rationalizability approach. To do so, we characterize norm-conditional rationalizability by means of suitable modifications of revealed preference axioms that are well established in the theory of rational choice on general domains as analysed in contributions by Richter and Hansson, for example. We compare our approach to alternative suggestions that have appeared in response to Sen's criticisms, and we discuss its links to Sen's notion of self-imposed choice constraints.

Type
Essay
Information
Economics & Philosophy , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , July 2009 , pp. 139 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Arrow, K. J. 1951; Second edn. 1963. Social Choice and Individual Values. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Arrow, K. J. 1959. Rational choice functions and orderings. Economica 26: 121–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baigent, N. 2007. Choice, norms and revealed preference. Analyse & Kritik 29: 139–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baigent, N. and Gaertner, W. 1996. Never choose the uniquely largest: a characterization. Economic Theory 8: 239–49.Google Scholar
Bossert, W. 2001. Choices, consequences, and rationality. Synthese 129: 343–69.Google Scholar
Bossert, W., Sprumont, Y. and Suzumura, K. 2005. Consistent rationalizability. Economica 72: 185–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bossert, W., Sprumont, Y. and Suzumura, K. 2006. Rationalizability of choice functions on general domains without full transitivity. Social Choice and Welfare 27: 435–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaertner, W. and Xu, Y. 1997. Optimization and external reference: a comparison of three axiomatic systems. Economics Letters 57: 57–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaertner, W. and Xu, Y. 1999a. On rationalizability of choice functions: a characterization of the median. Social Choice and Welfare 16: 629–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaertner, W. and Xu, Y. 1999b. On the structure of choice under different external references. Economic Theory 14: 609–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaertner, W. and Xu, Y. 2004. Procedural choice. Economic Theory 24: 335–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansson, B. 1968. Choice structures and preference relations. Synthese 18: 443–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houthakker, H. 1950. Revealed preference and the utility function. Economica 17: 159–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richter, M. K. 1966. Revealed preference theory. Econometrica 34: 635–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richter, M. K. 1971. Rational choice. In Preferences, Utility, and Demand, eds. Chipman, J., Hurwicz, L., Richter, M. and Sonnenschein, H., 29–58. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Google Scholar
Samuelson, P. A. 1938. A note on the pure theory of consumer's behaviour. Economica 5: 61–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samuelson, P. A. 1947. Foundations of Economic Analysis. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Samuelson, P. A. 1948. Consumption theory in terms of revealed preference. Economica 15: 243–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samuelson, P. A. 1950. The problem of integrability in utility theory. Economica 17: 355–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. K. 1971. Choice functions and revealed preference. Review of Economic Studies 38: 307–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. K. 1993. Internal consistency of choice. Econometrica 61: 495–521.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. K. 1997. Maximization and the act of choice. Econometrica 65: 745–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzumura, K. 1976a. Rational choice and revealed preference. Review of Economic Studies 43: 149–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzumura, K. 1976b. Remarks on the theory of collective choice. Economica 43: 381–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzumura, K. 1977. Houthakker's axiom in the theory of rational choice. Journal of Economic Theory 14: 284–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzumura, K. 1983. Rational Choice, Collective Decisions and Social Welfare. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szpilrajn, E. 1930. Sur l'extension de l'ordre partiel. Fundamenta Mathematicae 16: 386–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, Y. 2007. Norm-constrained choices. Analyse & Kritik 29: 329–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar