Fabio wrote: >Question: How would economic theory change if we assumed that people >would are trying to maximize their relative rank in a group, or >had a taste for decreasing other's utility?
Robert Frank has tried to address this in several books, but as far as I can tell everything depends on the details, about which we are pretty ignorant. Is it only rank about people who exist, or do potential people count as well? Is it rank of money, power, or subjective utility? If people cared about their relative rank of subjective utility among all people who might exist (e.g., wanting to be the happiest), I can't see any changes in behavior. Frank likes to posit that people care more about their rank in barbecues than health care, and so we should tax barbecues and subsidize health care. But I see no data supporting that. Robin Hanson [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://hanson.gmu.edu Asst. Prof. Economics, George Mason University MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444 703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
