Abstract
In this paper, we reexamine the uniqueness problem for cardinally interpreted utility functions, that is, utility functions allowing for first order utility difference comparisons. As was shown in earlier contributions, the frequently claimed uniqueness up to increasing affine transformations is invalid in many plausible cases. The main result of this paper provides a sufficient condition on the image of a cardinally interpreted utility function for this uniqueness property which is weaker than the conditions found in the earlier literature. Furthermore, it is shown how analogous results can be obtained for utility profiles allowing for interpersonal first order difference comparisons of the individual utilities.
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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg
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Bossert, W., Stehling, F. (1994). On the Uniqueness of Cardinally Interpreted Utility Functions. In: Eichhorn, W. (eds) Models and Measurement of Welfare and Inequality. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79037-9_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79037-9_30
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-79039-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-79037-9
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