The John M. Olin Center
Paper Abstract
253. L. Kaplow and S. Shavell, Any Non-Individualistic Social Welfare Function Violates the Pareto Principle, 3/99; subsequently published as "Any Non-Welfarist Method of Policy Assessment Violates the Pareto Principle" in Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 109, No. 2, April 2001, 281.
Abstract: The public at large, many policymakers, and some economists hold views of social welfare that attach some importance to factors other than individuals' utilities. This note shows that any such non-individualistic notion of social welfare conflicts with the Pareto principle.