On the possibility of an anti-paternalist behavioural welfare economics

Behavioural economics has taught us that human agents don't always display consistent, context-independent and stable preferences in their choice behaviour. Can we nevertheless do welfare a way lives up to the anti-paternalist ideal most economists subscribe to? I here discuss Sugden's powerful critique of previous attempts at doing so, which he dubs ‘New Consensus’, as appealing problematic notions latent preference inner rational agency. elaborate on fundamental rethinking normative foundations measurement often remains implicit behavioural literature Sugden discusses, but is required make these accounts minimally plausible. argue that, if go along with this rethinking, Bernheim Rangel's [(2007). Toward choice-theoretic for economics. American Economic Review, Papers Proceedings, 97, 464–470. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.97.2.464; (2009). Beyond revealed preference: Choice-theoretic Quarterly Journal Economics, 124(1), 51–104. https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.2009.124.1.51] framework withstands criticism. own, more radical proposal thus under-motivated by his Consensus’.