Yongsheng Xu
Georgia State University, Economics, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Human development is about much more than growth in real income. It is about expanding the choices human beings have to lead lives that they value. The potential choices and their expansion can be captured by capability sets that... more
ABSTRACT Human development is about much more than growth in real income. It is about expanding the choices human beings have to lead lives that they value. The potential choices and their expansion can be captured by capability sets that consist of various functioning vectors. The standard of living is then reflected in these capability sets. This paper proposes a particular way of measuring the standard of living available either to an individual or household or to a whole nation, when the direction of the development of society represented by a reference functioning vector is uncertain. The basis for our theoretical analysis is Lancaster's characteristics approach to consumer theory, which is combined with Sen's concept of functionings. We provide an axiomatic characterization of the measure that we propose.
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Human development is about expanding the choices human be- ings have to lead lives that they value and is captured by its capability sets which consist of various functioning vectors. The standard of living is then reected in capability... more
Human development is about expanding the choices human be- ings have to lead lives that they value and is captured by its capability sets which consist of various functioning vectors. The standard of living is then reected in capability sets. This paper proposes some particular ways of measuring the standard of living available to an agent, be it an individual or a whole country, when the direction of the development of society repre- sented by a reference functioning vector is uncertain. We provide axiomatic characterizations of the proposed measures. Keywords: Functioning, Capability, Uncertainty, Social Progress, Standard
Collective choices are often cyclic and cannot be rationalized by a well-defined linear ordering. In this paper we identify conditions under which collective choices, potentially cyclic, can be rationalized by games with perfect... more
Collective choices are often cyclic and cannot be rationalized by a well-defined linear ordering. In this paper we identify conditions under which collective choices, potentially cyclic, can be rationalized by games with perfect information.
In a non-welfaristic framework, Sen (1993) extends the first fundamental welfare theorem by demonstrating that the market mechanism also promotes individual freedom efficiently. This paper has a two-fold purpose. First, in order to... more
In a non-welfaristic framework, Sen (1993) extends the first fundamental welfare theorem by demonstrating that the market mechanism also promotes individual freedom efficiently. This paper has a two-fold purpose. First, in order to investigate extensions of the first and the second welfare theorems, we present an analytical framework in which each agent is endowed with three types of preference relations: an allocation preference relation, an opportunity preference relation, and an overall preference relation. We demonstrate that under certain conditions, the two welfare theorems can be extended. Second, we describe the restrictive nature of the underlying conditions for these positive results.
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The notion of diversity is an issue that is of relevance in several contexts. For example, the biodiversity of a given ecological environment and the diversity of the options available to a decision maker have attracted some attention in... more
The notion of diversity is an issue that is of relevance in several contexts. For example, the biodiversity of a given ecological environment and the diversity of the options available to a decision maker have attracted some attention in recent research. This paper provides an axiomatic approach to the measurement of diversity. We characterize two nested classes of ordinal measures of diversity and an important member of these classes. We prove that the latter special case is equivalent to a diversity ordering proposed by Weitzman.
Human development is about expanding the choices human beings have to lead lives that they value and is captured by its capability sets which consist of various functioning vectors. The standard of living is then reected in capability... more
Human development is about expanding the choices human beings have to lead lives that they value and is captured by its capability sets which consist of various functioning vectors. The standard of living is then reected in capability sets. This paper proposes some particular ways of measuring the stan- dard of living available to an agent, be it an individual or a whole country, when the direction of the development of society represented by a reference functioning vector or a reference cone is uncertain. We provide axiomatic characterizations of the various measures proposed. Keywords: Functioning, Capability, Uncertainty, Social Progress, Standard of
We discuss how information about diversity of alternatives may affect our judgments about an individual's freedom of choice as reflected in the available set of alternatives. We provide an axiomatic characterization of a... more
We discuss how information about diversity of alternatives may affect our judgments about an individual's freedom of choice as reflected in the available set of alternatives. We provide an axiomatic characterization of a similarity-based rule for ranking alternative opportunity ...
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ABSTRACT This paper compares the Rawlsian and the Utilitarian optimums in the Barlevy and Neal (2012) model. Our results suggest that, while both the Rawlsain optimum and the Utilitarian optimum yield the same average human capital, the... more
ABSTRACT This paper compares the Rawlsian and the Utilitarian optimums in the Barlevy and Neal (2012) model. Our results suggest that, while both the Rawlsain optimum and the Utilitarian optimum yield the same average human capital, the resulting distribution of human capital under Rawlsian optimum is more equitable than that under the Utilitarian optimum. Furthermore, we show that a modi�fied tournament-based incentive payment scheme is incentive compatible and can induce the teachers to allocate Rawlsian socially optimal levels of e�ffort to all students.
Research Interests: Equity and Tournament
Economic systems generate various distributions of opportunity sets for individuals to choose consumption bundles. This paper presents an axiomatic analysis on distributions of opportunity sets. We introduce several reasonable properties... more
Economic systems generate various distributions of opportunity sets for individuals to choose consumption bundles. This paper presents an axiomatic analysis on distributions of opportunity sets. We introduce several reasonable properties of distributions of opportunity sets, and characterize the distributions of opportunity sets in the market economy by these properties.
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This paper investigates extensions of the two fundamental theorems of welfare economics to the framework in which each agent is endowed with three types of preference relations: an allocation preference relation, an opportunity preference... more
This paper investigates extensions of the two fundamental theorems of welfare economics to the framework in which each agent is endowed with three types of preference relations: an allocation preference relation, an opportunity preference relation, and an overall preference relation. It is shown that, under certain conditions, the two theorems can be extended. It is also pointed out that the conditions underlying the positive results are restrictive.
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The international experience shows a variety of approaches to the organization and degree of decentralization in tax administration. It is quite common to observe, even in countries that are otherwise significantly decentralized as is the... more
The international experience shows a variety of approaches to the organization and degree of decentralization in tax administration. It is quite common to observe, even in countries that are otherwise significantly decentralized as is the case in the Scandinavian Countries, a highly centralized organization of tax administration. Nevertheless, there are other countries, in small number, where tax administration is highly decentralized; in some cases, as in Germany, even central government taxes are administered by the decentralized subnational governments. The fundamental questions addressed in this paper are the following: what is the most appropriate approach to organizing the vertical structure of tax administration, and what are the determinant factors that may make an approach more or less optimal in any particular country.
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ABSTRACT Existing research applying the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) in China is restricted to urban and rural samples. There are no studies for Chinese off-farm migrants. The specific aims of this study are (a) ascertain whether... more
ABSTRACT Existing research applying the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) in China is restricted to urban and rural samples. There are no studies for Chinese off-farm migrants. The specific aims of this study are (a) ascertain whether Chinese off-farm are satisfied with their lives; (b) investigate the equivalence of the PWI in terms of its psychometric properties; and (c) examine whether the responses to the PWI from participants falls within the narrow range predicted by the 'Theory of Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis???. The PWI demonstrated good psychometric performance in terms of its reliability, validity and sensibility and was consistent with previous studies for Western and non-Western samples. The data revealed a moderate level of subjective well-being (PWI score = 62.6). While Chinese off-farm migrants lead hard lives, the PWI was within the normative range predicted for Chinese societies by the 'Theory of Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis'. A likely explanation for this finding rests with the circular nature of migration in China. When China's offfarm migrants find it too difficult to cope in the cities, most have the fallback position that they can return to their homes in the countryside. This option provides an external buffer to minimize the inherent challenges of life which would otherwise impinge on the life satisfaction of China's off-farm migrants.
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When measuring a society's deprivation in a multi-attribute framework, researchers often resort to what we call a 'column-first two-stage procedure'. Under such procedures one first determines the society's... more
When measuring a society's deprivation in a multi-attribute framework, researchers often resort to what we call a 'column-first two-stage procedure'. Under such procedures one first determines the society's deprivation for each attribute separately by aggregating the individuals' deprivation levels in terms of that attribute, and then assesses the society's overall deprivation by aggregating the society's deprivation levels for different attributes.
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ABSTRACT this paper studies a ranking rule of the following kind axiomatically: each voter places k candidates into n categories with ranks from n to 1 attached to these categories, the candidate(s) with the highest aggregate score is... more
ABSTRACT this paper studies a ranking rule of the following kind axiomatically: each voter places k candidates into n categories with ranks from n to 1 attached to these categories, the candidate(s) with the highest aggregate score is (are) the winner(s). We show that it is characterized by a monotonicity condition and a multi-stage cancellation property.
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We consider the role of preferences in the assessment of an agent's freedom, visualized as the opportunity for choice. After discussing several possible intuitive approaches to the problem, we explore an approach based on the notion... more
We consider the role of preferences in the assessment of an agent's freedom, visualized as the opportunity for choice. After discussing several possible intuitive approaches to the problem, we explore an approach based on the notion of preference orderings that a reasonable person may possibly have. Using different sets of axioms, we characterize the rules for ranking opportunity sets in terms of freedom. We also show that certain axioms for ranking opportunity sets are incompatible.
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Human development is about much more than growth in real income. It is about expanding the choices human beings have to lead lives that they value. The potential choices and their expansion can be captured by capability sets that consist... more
Human development is about much more than growth in real income. It is about expanding the choices human beings have to lead lives that they value. The potential choices and their expansion can be captured by capability sets that consist of various functioning vectors. The standard of living is then reflected in these capability sets. This paper proposes a particular way of measuring the standard of living available either to an individual or household or to a whole nation, when the direction of the development of society represented by a reference functioning vector is uncertain. The basis for our theoretical analysis is Lancaster's characteristics approach to consumer theory, which is combined with Sen's concept of functionings. We provide an axiomatic characterization of the measure that we propose.
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ABSTRACT We study simple majority rule for a fixed profile of individuals' preferences and a variable society. Four properties each linking decisions by a group to decisions by its various subgroups are introduced, and are used... more
ABSTRACT We study simple majority rule for a fixed profile of individuals' preferences and a variable society. Four properties each linking decisions by a group to decisions by its various subgroups are introduced, and are used for characterizing simple majority rule.
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ABSTRACT The research agendas of psychologists and economists now have several overlaps, with behavioural economics providing theoretical and experimental study of the relationship between behaviour and choice, and hedonic psychology... more
ABSTRACT The research agendas of psychologists and economists now have several overlaps, with behavioural economics providing theoretical and experimental study of the relationship between behaviour and choice, and hedonic psychology discussing appropriate measures of outcomes of choice in terms of overall utility or life satisfaction. Here we model the relationship between values (understood as principles guiding behaviour), choices and their final outcomes in terms of life satisfaction, and use data from the BHPS to assess whether our ideas on what is important in life (individual values) are broadly connected to what we experience as important in our lives (life satisfaction).
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This paper provides an axiomatic characterization of the mean of squared deprivation gaps, which is a distinguished member of the important class of deprivation measures first introduced by Foster et al. (Econometrica 16(1):761–766, 1984)... more
This paper provides an axiomatic characterization of the mean of squared deprivation gaps, which is a distinguished member of the important class of deprivation measures first introduced by Foster et al. (Econometrica 16(1):761–766, 1984) and which has been extensively used in applied work on deprivation.