The reach of social choice theory

• Published in: Social choice and welfare Vol. 39; no. 2/3; pp. 259 - 272
• Main Author: Sen, Amartya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer 01.07.2012; Springer-Verlag; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 19th century; Decision theory; Economic theory; Economic Theory/Quantitative Economics/Mathematical Methods; Economics; Economics and Finance; Enlightenment; Fuzzy sets; Game Theory; Implementation; Institutionalism; International Political Economy; Justice; Mathematical models; Mathematical set theory; Mathematics; Neue politische Ökonomie; Original Paper; Philosophy; Political philosophy; Public choice; Public Finance; Rational choice theory; Reasoning; Salles; Salles, Maurice; Social and Behav. Sciences; Social Choice; Social Groups; Social Justice; Social Policy; Social sciences; Social theories; Society; Transcendentals; Voting; Welfare economics; Ökonomische Ideengeschichte; Choice Function; Social Justice; Impossibility Result; Public Reasoning; Social Choice
• ISSN: 0176-1714; 1432-217X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00355-011-0613-7

I have chosen as the topic of this lecture "the reach of social choice theory." The subject of social choice is, of course, very broad and inclusive, and it has given huge developments in welfare economics, voting analysis, implementation theory, among many other subdisciplines of the field, but it has also made indirect contributions to game theory, decision theory and the mathematics of measurement (including those that involve fuzzy sets and fuzzy relations, a subject in which Maurice Salles himself has been a pioneering contributor). I want to talk today about what social choice theory offers to the theory of justice. I must mention here that, much encouraged by Maurice Salles, I have been trying to investigate that question for some years now. My new book on justice -- it is called "the idea of justice" and will be published next month. My approach to justice draws quite heavily on the way social choice theory can enlighten the theory of justice. Since Maurice has been very interested in this question himself, I thought it might be appropriate to talk a little on that today. I should add that even though I know that I am here among an extraordinary group of social choice theorist with very great expertise, my talk is going to be entirely elementary. Adapted from the source document.