A discipline without sympathy the happiness of the majority and its demise.pdf

A discipline without sympathy: the happiness of the majority and its demise Sandra J. Peart Economics Department, Baldwin-Wallace College David M. Levy Buchanan Center, George Mason University Abstract. Experimental economists frequently invoke Adam Smith’s notion of sympathy, and experimental treatments typically examine sympathy in situations where two groups are involved. We explore additional implications of sympathy suggested by the work of later classical economists. We link the notion of sympathy to their majoritarian welfare analysis. Since sympathy provides a source of moral obligation, classical economists held that agents in democratic politics will refrain from unjust acts. We also consider how sympathetic agents may effect reforms that involve more than two parties, in which the benefits from the action accrue to someone who is not part of the ‘exchange.’ JEL classification: B12, D63 Une discipline sans sympathie: le bonheur de la majorite? et son de?ce?s. Les e?conomistes expe?rimentateurs parlent souvent de la notion de sympathie chez Adam Smith et on fait e?tat de la sympathie dans des situations ou? deux groupes sont implique?s. Les auteurs explorent plus avant des implications additionnelles de la sympathie sugge?re?es par les travaux d’e?conomistes classiques ulte?rieurs. On relie la notion de sympathie avec leurs analyses du bien-e?tre de la majorite?. Puisque la sympathie fournit une source d’obligation morale, les e?conomistes classiques sugge?raient que les agents en politique de?mocratique vont s’abstenir d’actes injustes. On conside?re aussi comment des agents sympathiques peuvent enclencher des re?formes qui impliquent plus que deux parties dans lesquelles les avantages de l’action sont obtenus par quelqu’un qui n’est pas partie de l’e?change. An expanded version of this paper will appear as chapter 9 of our book, ‘The Vanity of the Philosopher’: From Equality to Hierarchy in Postclassical Economics to be published by the University of Mich