Comments on: A definition of paternalism

By: Mike D

Mike D — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:01:23 +0000

Let’s think about two axes here. On the x axis, put altruism (the weight my assessment of your utility has in my utility function) and on the y axis, put respect (if I assess your situation using my utility function, respect = 0, if I assess your situation using what I think is your utility function, put respect =1, and interpolate between these two).

It seems obvious why altruism decreases with distance/dissimilarity. I would submit that respect is more subtle.
1) Proximity decreases respect, as I may suffer alleged externalities (real, pecuniary, or psychic) from your choices, so I have a selfish motive to override your preferences.
2) Proximity also increases respect, because your internal emotional life becomes more real and vivid to me, instead of a highly abstracted model.

By: sraffa

sraffa — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:14:02 +0000

I thought your first post in a few weeks would be on the expiring unemployment insurance benefits:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/us/27cong.html

By: Niklas Blanchard

Niklas Blanchard — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:36:57 +0000

People certainly don’t want to signal to those close to them that we think their choices are beneath ours. Parents do this to their kids because they are responsible for paternalism toward them…but other interactions are big deals, and often place a high amount of stress on relationships (even if for a short time, but possibly insurmountable). Think drug interventions.

By: pushmedia1

pushmedia1 — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:55:14 +0000

In other words, we’re actually all paternalists, but with our close friends we don’t look like we are.

By: Niklas Blanchard

Niklas Blanchard — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:26:02 +0000

One reason for the ambivalence toward close friends and family — we surround ourselves with people who we think share our values. If you value something, youn can assume that your friend values that thing, as well.

Thus, we are less paternal with people we have intimate relationships with because we expect them to have the very similar utility function to our own, and if (even in our imagination) that is true, there is no need to govern another person’s consumption function — as we already “know” what it is.

As far as internationally goes, this is obviously a situation where people don’t know how trade works.

By: admin

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:22:09 +0000

Why would closeness change whether or not I care about the other person’s utility or their consumption pattern?

By: John

John — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:36:05 +0000

One simple explanation is that interdependence depends on some measure of closeness. Foreigner’s aren’t similar at all, hence I don’t care about them very much. Strangers are only similar if they value the same things as I do (e.g. healthcare over gambling). Friends are close to me regardless of their consumption patterns.