Aggregation of Semiorders: Intransitive Indifference Makes a Difference.

B-Tier
Journal: Economic Theory
Year: 1995
Volume: 5
Issue: 1
Pages: 109-26

Authors (2)

Gilboa, Itzhak (Tel Aviv University) Lapson, Robert (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

A semiorder can be thought of as a binary relation P for which there is a utility "u" representing it in the following sense: xPy iff u(x)-u(y) > 1. We argue that weak orders (for which indifference is transitive) can not be considered a successful approximation of semiorders; for instance, a utility function representing a semiorder in the manner mentioned above is almost unique, i.e. cardinal and not only ordinal. In this paper we deal with semiorders on a product space and their relation to given semiorders on the original spaces. Following the intuition of Rubinstein we find surprising results: with the appropriate framework, it turns out that a Savage-type expected utility requires significantly weaker axioms than it does in the context of weak orders.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:spr:joecth:v:5:y:1995:i:1:p:109-26
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25