title: Social criteria for evaluating population change:  an alternative to the Blackorby-Donaldson criterion.
abstract: "An ethical objection is raised against the Blackorby-Donaldson criterion of optimum population maximizing the sum total of utilities in excess of some critical level, since it may disprefer a social state with more people and with more worthwhile lives.  However, the criterion may serve as a practicably reasonable compromise between maximizing total and average utility.  Nevertheless, an alternative compromise (the maximization of number-dampened total utility) is proposed that is free from the above objection."
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D003710:Demography; D004467:Economics; D004989:Ethics; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011153:Population; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012942:Social Sciences
keywords: Behavior; Critique; Decision Making; Demographic Factors; Demography; Ethics; Microeconomic Factors; Optimum Population; Population; Population Dynamics; Population Size; Population Theory; Social Sciences; Theoretical Studies; Utility Theory; World