Expected Representative-Utility Sufficientarianism: A Characterization

Abstract: We develop an ex post approach to sufficientarianism under risk that is based on the notion of expected representative utility. Sufficientarianism is a theory of distributive justice that grants absolute priority to individuals below a sufficiency threshold. While Fleurbaey (2010) characterizes expected representative-utility criteria and related orderings using weak Pareto for equal risk, this axiom conflicts with the absolute priority principle central to sufficientarianism. However, by restricting weak Pareto for equal risk to apply separately within the subdomains above and below the threshold, and by weakening continuity accordingly, we obtain a characterization of the expected representative-utility sufficientarian orderings. Our main theorem establishes that these orderings are characterized by ex post absolute priority, weak Pareto for no risk, restricted versions of weak Pareto for equal risk, statewise dominance, and restricted continuity axioms. We further characterize a subclass based on quasiarithmetic means by strengthening weak Pareto for no risk to its strong counterpart, and adding anonymity and outcome independence of the unconcerned to the list of axioms.