39 Questions
Which social welfare function prioritizes improving the well-being of the least well-off individuals?
MaxMin SWF
What property is associated with Prioritarian SWFs that distinguishes it from Utilitarian SWFs?
Priority to the worse off
Prioritarian SWFs are concerned with:
Priority to the worse off
What is a common characteristic of Levelling Down SWFs and Strong Pareto principles?
Promoting equality in resources
What principle involves ensuring that the worst-off members of society are as well off as possible?
Difference principle
According to Egalitarianism, when is x better than y?
When the distribution of well-being in x is more equal than in y
How is the concept of (in)equality described in Simple Egalitarian SWF?
By calculating the difference in well-being between persons
Which principle posits that transferring 'k units of well-being value' from Ann to Bob may yield a better outcome?
Prioritarianism
What does the Difference Principle focus on?
Addressing the disparities in well-being between individuals
In the context of Equality of well-being, what does the term SWF stand for?
Social Welfare Function
What concept is represented by the statement 'x ≻ y iff ∑i ui (x) > ∑i ui (y)'?
Utilitarian SWF
In the context of the text, which principle highlights that increasing the well-being of one individual while reducing another's by the same amount results in equally good outcomes?
Transitional Equity
What is the primary focus of the principles that somehow care about equality of well-being, contrasted with Utilitarianism?
Prioritarian SWF
In the lecture, what is the central theme when asking who should be considered part of society for the assessment of well-being?
Membership criteria
What is a necessary condition for a policy to avoid the levelling down objection?
It benefits at least one person.
What is a characteristic of an equality-respecting SWF?
It distributes well-being equally among individuals.
What is the general form of an egalitarian SWF?
f(uA) + f(uB) + EQ(uA, uB)
What is an implication of the levelling down objection?
A policy is subject to criticism if it does not benefit anyone.
What does Simple Egalitarianism illustrate?
That well-being should be equally distributed.
What type of SWF is illustrated in the given example?
Egalitarian
According to the given example, what is the condition for x to be better than y?
uA + uB - 2⋅ ∣ uA − uB ∣ is greater for x than for y
What is the main difference between egalitarianism and utilitarianism?
Egalitarianism prioritizes equality, while utilitarianism prioritizes total well-being
What is an implication of the given example in the context of well-being transfer?
Making Bob worse off can make the situation better
What is the main focus of SWFs, according to the context?
Distributing well-being equally
According to Prioritarianism, when is x considered better than y?
When i was worse-off than j in y
What distinguishes Prioritarian SWFs from Utilitarian SWFs?
Primarily concerned with the least well-off individuals
In (Simple) Prioritarian SWF, which scenario is considered better overall?
Transferring well-being from a better-off to a worse-off person
What is the main focus of the Difference Principle?
Prioritizing worse-off individuals
When an additional unit of well-being is available, according to Prioritarianism, who should benefit?
Worse-off person
Which principle involves transferring 'k units of well-being value' from a worse-off person to a better-off person?
Prioritarianism
As per Prioritarianism, what happens when well-being is transferred from a better-off to a worse-off person?
The new well-being is higher
What is the primary focus of Simple Prioritarian SWFs?
Prioritizing the worse-off individuals
In the context of utility profiles, what action aligns with Prioritarian principles?
Transferring utility from a higher to lower value person
How does Simple Prioritarianism treat the distribution of well-being?
Gives priority to the worse-off
Which social welfare function prioritizes the well-being of the worst-off person the most?
MaxMin
What is a key distinction between Simple Egalitarianism and Simple Prioritarianism?
One cares about equality itself, while the other does not
What is a key property of all the social welfare functions except for Utilitarianism?
They all respect equality
What is the key idea behind the MaxMin social welfare function?
Transferring well-being from the better-off to the worst-off
Which social welfare function is based on the idea that equality of well-being is 'intrinsically good'?
Simple Egalitarianism
Test your understanding of the levelling down objection in policy evaluation, which questions if a policy is justified if it only benefits the masses at the cost of the elite. Learn to distinguish between policies subject to the levelling down objection and those that are not.
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