Preferences over characteristics and utility functions over commodities

Aldo Rustichini; Paolo Siconolfi

doi:10.1007/s00199-007-0258-z

Preferences over characteristics and utility functions over commodities

Aldo Rustichini, Paolo Siconolfi

Economics (Twin Cities)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Following Lancaster, preferences are defined over a set of characteristics, while commodities vectors are transformed into characteristics by a production function. We assume that both the preferences over the characteristics and the production functions are "neoclassical" and we characterize the set utility functions over the consumption space derived as the composition of preferences over characteristics and production functions. We prove that, under regularity conditions, any function can be derived by such a composition. Thus, the theories of characteristics does not impose any restrictions on derived utility functions.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	159-164
Number of pages	6
Journal	Economic Theory
Volume	36
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00199-007-0258-z
State	Published - Jul 2008

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank an anonymous referee for helpful suggestions. The research of Aldo Rustichini was supported by the NSF grant NSF/SES-0136556. Paolo Siconolfi acknowledges the support of the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University.

Keywords

Characteristics
Derived utility function

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10.1007/s00199-007-0258-z

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AU - Siconolfi, Paolo

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N2 - Following Lancaster, preferences are defined over a set of characteristics, while commodities vectors are transformed into characteristics by a production function. We assume that both the preferences over the characteristics and the production functions are "neoclassical" and we characterize the set utility functions over the consumption space derived as the composition of preferences over characteristics and production functions. We prove that, under regularity conditions, any function can be derived by such a composition. Thus, the theories of characteristics does not impose any restrictions on derived utility functions.

AB - Following Lancaster, preferences are defined over a set of characteristics, while commodities vectors are transformed into characteristics by a production function. We assume that both the preferences over the characteristics and the production functions are "neoclassical" and we characterize the set utility functions over the consumption space derived as the composition of preferences over characteristics and production functions. We prove that, under regularity conditions, any function can be derived by such a composition. Thus, the theories of characteristics does not impose any restrictions on derived utility functions.

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KW - Derived utility function

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VL - 36

SP - 159

EP - 164

JO - Economic Theory

JF - Economic Theory

IS - 1

ER -

Preferences over characteristics and utility functions over commodities

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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