Taking alleged dictatorship more seriously: Rejoinder to Fried

In: Public choice, Volume 158, Issue 1-2, p. 253-259

Abstract

Fried (in Public Choice, this issue, 2013) claims that Quesada (in Public Choice 130:395-400, 2007) is wrong in showing that the dictator in a dictatorial social welfare function does not necessarily enjoy absolute decision power. This reply revisits, and illustrates by means of an example, the framework where Quesada's result is obtained. It is argued that Fried's counterfactual analysis conducted to invalidate Quesada's conclusion relies on untenable presumptions: (i) that the rules to identify the values of a social welfare function say something about how these values must have been obtained; and (ii) that counterfactual analysis can be conducted in an environment where causes and effects cannot be unequivocally established. Adapted from the source document.