Empirical Social Choice: Questionnaire-Experimental Studies on Distributive Justice [Hardcover]

The first self-contained analysis of the use of questionnaire data to test theories of distributive justice.Since Aristotle, many different theories of distributive justice have been proposed. This book shows that empirical insights are necessary if one wants to apply any theory of justice in the real world. It does so by confronting the main theories of distributive justice with data from questionnaire experiments.Since Aristotle, many different theories of distributive justice have been proposed. This book shows that empirical insights are necessary if one wants to apply any theory of justice in the real world. It does so by confronting the main theories of distributive justice with data from questionnaire experiments.Since Aristotle, many different theories of distributive justice have been proposed, by philosophers as well as social scientists. The typical approach within social choice theory is to assess these theories in an axiomatic way  most of the time the reader is confronted with abstract reasoning and logical deductions. This book shows that empirical insights are necessary if one wants to apply any theory of justice in the real world. It does so by confronting the main theories of distributive justice with data from (mostly) questionnaire experiments. The book starts with an extensive discussion on why empirical social choice makes sense and how it should be done. It then presents various experimental results relating to theories of distributive justice, including the Rawlsian equity axiom, Harsanyi's version of utilitarianism, utilitarianism with a floor, responsibility-sensitive egalitarianism, the claims problem and fairness in health.List of figures; List of tables; 1. Introduction; 2. Why and how?; 3. Traditional questions; 4. Fairness; 5. Fairness in health; Final remarks; References; Index. The book is well-written and accessible, making it suitable for a large number of readers. Graduate students will find the book an ideal starting point for tlÃn