Fairness and aggregation
Fairness and aggregation
Sometimes, two unfair distributions cancel out in aggregate. Paradoxically, two distributions each of which is fair in isolation may give rise to aggregate unfairness. When assessing the fairness of distributions, it therefore matters whether we assess transactions piecemeal or focus only on the overall result. This piece illustrates these difficulties for two leading theories of fairness (proportionality and shortfall minimization) before offering a formal proof that no non-trivial theory guarantees aggregativity. This is not intended as a criticism of any particular theory, but as a datum that must be taken into account in constructing a theory of fairness.
aggregation, broome, cupit, distribution, division, fairness, proportionality, shortfall minimisation, stone
1-10
Paseau, A.C.
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Saunders, Ben
aed7ba9f-f519-4bbf-a554-db25b684037d
Paseau, A.C.
0688b12f-10f8-475b-a719-208c9d0c2a93
Saunders, Ben
aed7ba9f-f519-4bbf-a554-db25b684037d
Abstract
Sometimes, two unfair distributions cancel out in aggregate. Paradoxically, two distributions each of which is fair in isolation may give rise to aggregate unfairness. When assessing the fairness of distributions, it therefore matters whether we assess transactions piecemeal or focus only on the overall result. This piece illustrates these difficulties for two leading theories of fairness (proportionality and shortfall minimization) before offering a formal proof that no non-trivial theory guarantees aggregativity. This is not intended as a criticism of any particular theory, but as a datum that must be taken into account in constructing a theory of fairness.
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Accepted/In Press date: 18 January 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 June 2015
Keywords:
aggregation, broome, cupit, distribution, division, fairness, proportionality, shortfall minimisation, stone
Organisations:
Social Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 377843
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/377843
ISSN: 0953-8208
PURE UUID: a7f4d986-13ed-4c9d-9a92-868432fb1fee
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Date deposited: 08 Jun 2015 15:44
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:50
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Author:
A.C. Paseau
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