We propose and axiomatically characterize, within Harsanyi's impartial observer setting, a utilitarian social welfare function (SWF) that can accommodate concerns for procedural fairness. Under our proposal, concerns for procedural fairness in social welfare assessments are inherited from...

We confront two common objections to Harsanyi's impartial observer theorem; one to do with 'fairness', and the other to do with different individuals' having different attitudes toward risk. Both these objections can be accommodated if we drop the reduction axiom; in particular, if we...