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Erschienen in: Constitutional Political Economy 3/2008

01.09.2008 | Original Paper

Why incoherent preferences do not justify paternalism

verfasst von: Robert Sugden

Erschienen in: Constitutional Political Economy | Ausgabe 3/2008

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Abstract

A variety of recent arguments emerging from behavioural economics claim to undermine the credibility, and even the conceptual coherence, of the economist’s traditional rejection of paternalism. Indeed, some suggest that the incoherent nature of preferences inevitably implies a form of paternalism, since some basis for officiating between expressed preferences is required, and some preferences will be over-ridden in favour of others. This paper reviews and contests these arguments. It argues that markets operate according to a normatively defensible and non-paternalistic principle of mutual advantage, and that this principle does not require preferences to be coherent.

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Metadaten
Titel
Why incoherent preferences do not justify paternalism
verfasst von
Robert Sugden
Publikationsdatum
01.09.2008
Verlag
Springer US
Erschienen in
Constitutional Political Economy / Ausgabe 3/2008
Print ISSN: 1043-4062
Elektronische ISSN: 1572-9966
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10602-008-9043-7

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