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Collective Choice and Social Welfare
Collective Choice and Social Welfare
640 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
52 people are currently reading
868 people want to read
About the author
Amartya Sen
191 books1,450 followersAmartya Kumar Sen is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society’s poorest members.
Sen was best known for his work on the causes of famine, which led to the development of practical solutions for preventing or limiting the effects of real or perceived shortages of food. He is currently the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is also a senior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, where he previously served as Master from the years 1998 to 2004. He is the first Asian and the first Indian academic to head an Oxbridge college.
Amartya Sen's books have been translated into more than thirty languages. He is a trustee of Economists for Peace and Security. In 2006, Time magazine listed him under "60 years of Asian Heroes" and in 2010 included him in their "100 most influential persons in the world".
Sen was best known for his work on the causes of famine, which led to the development of practical solutions for preventing or limiting the effects of real or perceived shortages of food. He is currently the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is also a senior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, where he previously served as Master from the years 1998 to 2004. He is the first Asian and the first Indian academic to head an Oxbridge college.
Amartya Sen's books have been translated into more than thirty languages. He is a trustee of Economists for Peace and Security. In 2006, Time magazine listed him under "60 years of Asian Heroes" and in 2010 included him in their "100 most influential persons in the world".
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 28, 2020
I am going to make an exception with my rating rule. I typically only give five stars to a book I think everyone should read. I cannot truly say this book is for everyone: it is brilliant and it is incredibly profound but it is also technical and dense. But to give the book any less than 5 stars would be heresy.
Collective Choice and Social Welfare was originally published in 1970 and synthesized Amartya Sen's work in the field of social choice theory, taking its point of departure Kenneth Arrow's famous Impossibility Theorem, but moving well beyond. The original book had a beautiful stylistic experiment: each topic is covered in two chapters. There is an exposition chapter that assimilates the essence of the argument and presents an intuitive narrative to the reader. Followed by its corresponding mathematical counterpart.
Somewhat Technical
Social choice theory is considered a heavily technical field: it is often presented as a part of "mathematical economics." And so, each technical chapter in the book presents results that, among other things, (1) investigate the nature of the axioms behind Arrow's famous result, pointing out their non-basic nature, also understanding the boundaries and contours of the result; (2) compare the requirements of Pareto optimality with classical Liberty; (3) argue for the the possibility and appeal of partial comparability between individual values; (4) investigate theories of justice; (5) look at theories of voting.
All of the above was already present in the 1970 edition. Indeed, the book sparked off entire bodies of research in various domains and laid the foundations for welfare economics. It is also an important reason why Sen won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
It took me a lot of time to complete the original edition. The proofs were often involved and there were a plethora of concepts squeezed into every chapter. But I would hasten to add and, perhaps, hazard to claim, that it was all well worth the effort.
The original book would have been, by itself, a crowning achievement for any formidable intellect. Sen has written another 300 pages in this 2017 edition. The canvas has subtly changed. He assimilates progress in social choice theory for the reader in the 40+ years between the two editions. He provides a scathing critique of rational choice theory and its need for internal consistency of choice. He spends a fair bit of time evaluating various theories of justice. What's remarkable is that his theory flows from his formal mathematical work in social choice and also incorporates the thoughts of an incredible array of philosophers and thinkers even while adding his own originality, for example, in terms of the need for a focus on capabilities, on reasoned discussion, and on the willingness to accept improvements rather than an endless -- possibly impossible -- search for perfection.
There is far too much for me to write about and, to be perfectly honest, I will probably take a long time to absorb the arguments Sen has made in this wonderful book. It represents a large part of his life's work and there is much to learn. And so much more to admire.
Collective Choice and Social Welfare was originally published in 1970 and synthesized Amartya Sen's work in the field of social choice theory, taking its point of departure Kenneth Arrow's famous Impossibility Theorem, but moving well beyond. The original book had a beautiful stylistic experiment: each topic is covered in two chapters. There is an exposition chapter that assimilates the essence of the argument and presents an intuitive narrative to the reader. Followed by its corresponding mathematical counterpart.
Somewhat Technical
Social choice theory is considered a heavily technical field: it is often presented as a part of "mathematical economics." And so, each technical chapter in the book presents results that, among other things, (1) investigate the nature of the axioms behind Arrow's famous result, pointing out their non-basic nature, also understanding the boundaries and contours of the result; (2) compare the requirements of Pareto optimality with classical Liberty; (3) argue for the the possibility and appeal of partial comparability between individual values; (4) investigate theories of justice; (5) look at theories of voting.
All of the above was already present in the 1970 edition. Indeed, the book sparked off entire bodies of research in various domains and laid the foundations for welfare economics. It is also an important reason why Sen won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
It took me a lot of time to complete the original edition. The proofs were often involved and there were a plethora of concepts squeezed into every chapter. But I would hasten to add and, perhaps, hazard to claim, that it was all well worth the effort.
The original book would have been, by itself, a crowning achievement for any formidable intellect. Sen has written another 300 pages in this 2017 edition. The canvas has subtly changed. He assimilates progress in social choice theory for the reader in the 40+ years between the two editions. He provides a scathing critique of rational choice theory and its need for internal consistency of choice. He spends a fair bit of time evaluating various theories of justice. What's remarkable is that his theory flows from his formal mathematical work in social choice and also incorporates the thoughts of an incredible array of philosophers and thinkers even while adding his own originality, for example, in terms of the need for a focus on capabilities, on reasoned discussion, and on the willingness to accept improvements rather than an endless -- possibly impossible -- search for perfection.
There is far too much for me to write about and, to be perfectly honest, I will probably take a long time to absorb the arguments Sen has made in this wonderful book. It represents a large part of his life's work and there is much to learn. And so much more to admire.
Read
November 19, 2021Sometimes I pick up a book, immediately recognize I am in over my head, but continue to read anyway. This comes from an insight I had over thirty years ago when a friend lamented he struggled with poetry and asked me how I could read it. I responded: "practice." When reading is more than a past time, when it is an attempt to see and think about the world differently, sometimes a reader has to cuddle up to the idea that what you are experiencing is more than you can understand in one reading. Amartya Sen's Collective Choice and Social Welfare was just such an experience for me.
It is not that Sen is not a lucid and clear writer. He is. And thank goodness. If he weren't, I would have dropped the book 20 pages in. It is, rather, that the book is very technical and assumes a better than working knowledge of Collective Choice theory. Thankfully, Sen divides the chapters between explanations of the theory, through an evaluation of economic and philosophical arguments, and the technical analytic proofs that underlie the arguments. I was, frankly, lost in the latter chapters, where a reader would have to be both well versed in symbolic logic and willing to take the time to work through the axiomatic logic of Sen's analysis. Unfortunately, I have neither. But, in reading through these theorems, I was able to acquire some technical language and conclusions that helped in reading the other chapters where Sen takes up a more traditional explanatory writing. It is not that I wouldn't go back to read the technical analytic chapters again. Rather, I felt like I would need to do so with pencil and pen in hand, to work through the logic.
The non-technical chapters were still highly technical, but Sen does an excellent job of providing a framework where he explains Arrow's Impossibility theorem, values and utility orderings, and their implications for social and political choice rules. This combination of technical/non-technical reveals the quandaries of collective choice rules in adhering to democratic principles when directing public policy by evaluating the validity claims of collective representation that policy decisions have or don't have.
This gets us into what are the foundational principles one can use to determine justice and fairness in a social and economic system and how one can test those principles for consistency or possibility in drawing conclusions. I will need more practice before I can claim any intelligence in this area, but as a first foray into the principles of collective choice, I feel I have a firm foundation from which to learn more. I will just need more practice.
It is not that Sen is not a lucid and clear writer. He is. And thank goodness. If he weren't, I would have dropped the book 20 pages in. It is, rather, that the book is very technical and assumes a better than working knowledge of Collective Choice theory. Thankfully, Sen divides the chapters between explanations of the theory, through an evaluation of economic and philosophical arguments, and the technical analytic proofs that underlie the arguments. I was, frankly, lost in the latter chapters, where a reader would have to be both well versed in symbolic logic and willing to take the time to work through the axiomatic logic of Sen's analysis. Unfortunately, I have neither. But, in reading through these theorems, I was able to acquire some technical language and conclusions that helped in reading the other chapters where Sen takes up a more traditional explanatory writing. It is not that I wouldn't go back to read the technical analytic chapters again. Rather, I felt like I would need to do so with pencil and pen in hand, to work through the logic.
The non-technical chapters were still highly technical, but Sen does an excellent job of providing a framework where he explains Arrow's Impossibility theorem, values and utility orderings, and their implications for social and political choice rules. This combination of technical/non-technical reveals the quandaries of collective choice rules in adhering to democratic principles when directing public policy by evaluating the validity claims of collective representation that policy decisions have or don't have.
This gets us into what are the foundational principles one can use to determine justice and fairness in a social and economic system and how one can test those principles for consistency or possibility in drawing conclusions. I will need more practice before I can claim any intelligence in this area, but as a first foray into the principles of collective choice, I feel I have a firm foundation from which to learn more. I will just need more practice.
December 14, 2024
Once again Anartya Sen turns out to be an absolute genius. The clarity with which he combines economics, social choice theory and ethics is extremely enlightening. A truly inspiring thinker.
August 19, 2019
A masterpiece in substance and presentation. If I had more time I would have tried to work through all of the technical chapters. Sen gives you both rigorous demonstrations of central theorems in social choice and an intuitive discussion of their implications and significance. If you’re able to follow both the starred and non starred chapters you’ll come away with an unparalleled understanding of social choice theory.
September 9, 2017
A book that I read most insincerely. Maybe I shall come back to it another time.
July 1, 2024
Explores how societies make collective decisions, emphasizing the inherent trade-offs and challenges involved in achieving social welfare sassa status . He critiques traditional utilitarian approaches that focus solely on aggregating individual preferences, arguing instead for a broader consideration of fairness, justice, and the distributional impacts of policies.
One of the key contributions of Sen's work is his development of the capability approach, which asserts that individual well-being should not be reduced to mere utility or income levels but should encompass the freedom and opportunities people have to lead valuable lives according to their own aspirations. This approach has profoundly influenced debates on development economics and social policy, challenging policymakers to consider not just economic growth but also the enhancement of human capabilities.
Sen's writing is rigorous yet accessible, making complex ideas understandable without sacrificing depth. He uses a blend of mathematical rigor and real-world examples to illustrate theoretical concepts, making the book suitable for both scholars and students interested in social choice theory.
One of the key contributions of Sen's work is his development of the capability approach, which asserts that individual well-being should not be reduced to mere utility or income levels but should encompass the freedom and opportunities people have to lead valuable lives according to their own aspirations. This approach has profoundly influenced debates on development economics and social policy, challenging policymakers to consider not just economic growth but also the enhancement of human capabilities.
Sen's writing is rigorous yet accessible, making complex ideas understandable without sacrificing depth. He uses a blend of mathematical rigor and real-world examples to illustrate theoretical concepts, making the book suitable for both scholars and students interested in social choice theory.
November 30, 2018
This is a review of the 2017 edition. I enjoyed the book as a textbook I wish I had when I first met with these concepts. Assumptions in microeconomics are not value neutral, and Sen makes a good case for what each of the axioms entails and where they break down. Dividing the exposition in more conversational chapters followed by proper theorem/proof/theorem chapters is a good idea.
to-keep-reference
July 31, 2018For an assertion that at least some rough interpersonal comparisons of intensity are possible.
Comentado en Justice, Equal Opportunity and the Family Pág.12
Comentado en Justice, Equal Opportunity and the Family Pág.12
March 21, 2018
I can't give 5 stars to a recent book that praises Aung San Suu Kyi.
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April 13, 2021It is one of the most impressive books I ever had in my hands. The expanded version demonstrates what happened in the social choice theory and how fruitful this area of research is.
January 29, 2025
MWG on steroids
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March 4, 2019302.35 S4741 2017
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews