Journal Article Cost-benefit Rules in General Equilibrium Get access Robin W. Boadway Robin W. Boadway Queen's University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 42, Issue 3, July 1975, Pages 361–374, https://doi.org/10.2307/2296850 Published: 01 July 1975

Louis Kaplow proposes a two-step methodology for normative policy analysis and illustrates it using various policy reforms. The first step is to identify efficiency gains when hypothetical lump-sum taxes can undo redistributive consequences. The second step evaluates the redistributive effects using a strictly welfaristic social welfare function. I critically review the foundations for Kaplow's procedure and its reliance on strict welfarism. I argue that basing efficiency gains on hypothetical lump-sum tax adjustments can lead to social welfare reducing policies if such tax adjustments are not carried out. I also indicate some conceptual problems with translating welfarism into policy evaluation when individuals have different utility function, and review one promising alternative approach.(JEL H20, H41, H50)

Journal Article Long-run Tax Incidence: A Comparative Dynamic Approach Get access Robin Boadway Robin Boadway Queen's University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 46, Issue 3, July 1979, Pages 505–511, https://doi.org/10.2307/2297016 Published: 01 July 1979 Article history Received: 01 December 1977 Accepted: 01 October 1978 Published: 01 July 1979

I. Introduction, 541.—II. A general cost-benefit rule for equity and efficiency, 542.—III. Some special cases, 547.—IV. Conclusions, 555.