Skip Navigation



Oxford Economic Papers Advance Access published online on October 26, 2004
Oxford Economic Papers, doi:10.1093/oep/gpi002
Copyright © 2004 Oxford University Press.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
57/1/90    most recent
gpi002v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Frey, B. S.
Right arrow Articles by Stutzer, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Original Papers

Beyond outcomes: measuring procedural utility

Bruno S. Frey 1 and Alois Stutzer 1

1 Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich, Bluemlisalpstrasse 10, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland


  Abstract

People not only obtain utility from actual outcomes but also from the conditions which lead to these outcomes. The paper proposes an economic concept of this notion of procedural utility. Preferences beyond outcome can be manifold. We distinguish procedural utility people get from institutions as such, i.e., from how allocative and redistributive decisions are taken, procedural utility from activities towards which people have an intrinsic attitude and procedural utility from the way being treated in interaction with other people. In an empirical application, it is studied whether people gain procedural utility from participating in the political decision-making process itself, irrespective of the outcome. Utility is measured by individuals’ reported subjective well-being. We find that participation rights provide procedural utility in terms of a feeling of self-determination and influence. In contrast, actual participation and use of participation rights does not.

Keywords: JEL classifications: D60; D63; D72; H73; I31.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 OXF ECON PAPHome page
F. Carlsson, G. Gupta, and O. Johansson-Stenman
Keeping up with the Vaishyas? Caste and relative standing in India
Oxf. Econ. Pap., January 1, 2009; 61(1): 52 - 73.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.