Academic Edi o : Geo ge Halkos
Recei ed: 29 Augus 2025
Re ised: 20 Sep embe 2025
Accep ed: 24 Sep embe 2025
Published: 29 Sep embe 2025
Ci a ion: Di Foggia, G., A igo, U., &
Becca ello, M. (2025). E olu ion and
Theo e ical Implica ions o he U ili y
Concep . Economies,13(10), 283.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/
economies13100283
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E olu ion and Theo e ical Implica ions o he U ili y Concep
Giacomo Di Foggia * , Ugo A igo and Massimo Becca ello
Depa men o Business and Law, Uni e si y o Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, I aly; [email p o ec ed] (U.A.)
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
We e iew he e olu ion o he concep o u ili y in economics, add essing he concep ual
and e minological agmen a ion ha cha ac e ises he in e disciplina y deba e. This
s udy adop s he scoping e iew amewo k o sys ema ically analyse he main heo e ical
app oaches, anging om u ili y as p e e ence o u ili y as subjec i e sa is ac ion and well-
being. Pa icula a en ion is paid o p ocedu al u ili y, i.e., he u ili y de i ed om he
way decisions a e made and in e ac ions de elop, di ided in o h ee a eas: indi idual,
linked o au onomy and sel -de e mina ion; in e pe sonal, ela ed o he quali y o social
ela ions; and ins i u ional, e e ing o pa icipa ion and ecogni ion. The analysis is
based on h ee aspec s: (i) how di e en heo e ical adi ions ha e in e p e ed u ili y
and well-being; (ii) wha con e gences and di e gences eme ge in he con empo a y
li e a u e; (iii) and wha implica ions hese ac o s ha e o esea ch and public policy.
We highligh he complemen a i y be ween app oaches and sugges ex ending economic
e lec ion o dimensions ha a e cen al o he well-being o indi iduals and socie ies. The
insigh s o his s udy ha e public policy implica ions, indica ing ha , h ough well-de ined
ins i u ions, dis ibu i e jus ice, and wel a e sys ems, axpaye s’ hedonic u ili y can be
ans o med in o he ch ema is ic u ili y o bene icia ies.
Keywo ds: u ili y; well-being; p e e ences; happiness; p ocedu al u ili y; ou come u ili y;
economic heo y; collec i e choices; public economics
1. In oduc ion
U ili y is he backbone o he u ili a ianism concep ha has been e y in luen ial
among economis s, apa om being necessa y o unde s anding people’s wel a e (Hasle ,
1990). We highligh aspec s ha complica e ea ing i as uni ocal. The e m u ili y has
unde gone a shi in meaning o e ime (B oome,1991;Wi ,2016), ansi ioning om
ep esen ing a ma e ial p ope y o goods o a subjec i e men al s a e, la e becoming
synonymous wi h e ealed p e e ence, and ecen ly, becoming a subjec o e lec ion wi hin
he happiness and economics app oach. The plu al na u e o u ili y makes compa ison
and agg ega ion, i.e., ankings o ela i e p e e ences (Fabian e al.,2022), in insically
challenging (Sen,1991) due o i s mul iple amewo ks (T. J. B ennan,1989).
Alongside hese wo app oaches—genealogical and plu alis —we ocus on a hi d
pe spec i e ha iden i ies wo peculia i ies ha ha e no been adequa ely highligh ed in he
deba e so a . The i s deals wi h he coexis ence o wo meanings o u ili y: ch ema is ic
u ili y (CU), ancho ed in he A is o elian and, o some ex en , Smi hian adi ion, and
hedonic u ili y (HU). The la e conce ns u ili y ha gene a es he second peculia i y,
gi en ha i can be de i ed om ou comes and he p ocesses by which hey a e ob ained
(Eas e lin,2004;F ey & S u ze ,2000). The dis inc ion be ween CU, de i ing om he
Economies 2025,13, 283 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/economies13100283
Economies 2025,13, 283 2 o 20
objec i e p ope ies o goods, and HU, subjec i ely p oduced by pe sons hanks o goods,
has impo an consequences on he in e pe sonal compa abili y o u ili y since, in he
second case, i mee s he well-known p oblems aised by Robbins. A he same ime, in he
i s , i is exemp .
We p opose a b oad ypology o o ms o u ili y o s eng hen he heo e ical oun-
da ions o wel a e economics. Al hough he classi ica ion may also ha e implica ions
o beha iou al modelling, ou p ima y objec i e is no ma i e: o p o ide a concep ual
amewo k o assessing well-being beyond he me e sa is ac ion o p e e ences. Fo cla -
i y, p e e ences a e ea ed he e as indica o s o well-being a he han as desc ip o s o
obse ed beha iou . This dis inc ion sepa a es he no ma i e om he posi i e pe spec i e
while p ese ing sha ed cha ac e is ics. P e e ence o de ings may some imes be in oked
o simpli ica ion pu poses.
We explo e he concep o u ili y by acing i s main concep ual ans o ma ions o
eco e i s o iginal seman ic ichness and heo e ical dep h. C i ical s eps in his e olu ion
a e iden i ied: he p e-Ben ham dis inc ion be ween ins umen al u ili y (IU) and pleasu e,
he pos -Ben ham iden i ica ion o u ili y wi h pe sonal well-being, he asep ic ede ini ion
o u ili y in he e ealed p e e ence app oach, and i s e-hedonisa ion in he happiness and
economics app oach. O hese, he i s wo a e pa icula ly ele an . Indeed, while use ul
in he con ex o , e.g., consume choices, he e ealed p e e ence app oach s uggles in
a eas whe e p ocedu al dimensions a e impo an .
The impossibili y o in e ing wel a e p e e ences om choices in he p esence o
p ocedu al cos s con i ms he need o dis inguish be ween hese wo concep s. In his sense,
i is impossible o main ain consis ency be ween choices and p e e ences on he one hand
and be ween p e e ences and wel a e on he o he (Schwa z & Cheek,2017;Sen,2006;
Yang,2018). Al hough he happiness and economics app oach enables he dissec ion o he
sou ces o pe cei ed well-being, i isks unde es ima ing i s ma e ial componen . We aim o
highligh he cen ali y o wo concep ual dis inc ions. The i s is he dis inc ion be ween
CU and HU (Millg am,2000;Viglia olo,2020), eco e ing he seman ic cla i y p esen in
classical hough , and he second is he dis inc ion be ween p ocedu al and ou come u ili y
(OU), ex ending he concep o p ocedu al u ili y (PU) o non-ins i u ional con ex s. These
wo dis inc ions open new c i ical pe spec i es on es ablished economic heo ies and aise
ques ions abou he legi imacy o exclusi ely using he OU in collec i e choices.
In his con ex , he p ocedu al and communica i e app oaches, he la e inspi ed by
he philosophe Habe mas, can o e an al e na i e o he simple agg ega ion o indi idual
p e e ences, sugges ing he need o jus i ica ion and uni e salisa ion in collec i e decision-
making p ocesses.
The goal is o sys ema ise knowledge on he e olu ion o he u ili y concep in eco-
nomics wi h implica ions ha can bene i public decision-make s, who can d aw aluable
insigh s o de eloping and adap ing sec o al policies, and schola s, o u he heo e -
ical and empi ical esea ch. This wo k engages wi h he classical li e a u e on wel a e
economics and u ili y heo y, s eng hening he link be ween concep ual e lec ion and
ecen applica ions.
The insigh s d awn om he li e a u e iden i y some es ablished ends and he
eme gence o mul idisciplina y app oaches. The o iginal con ibu ions o his wo k consis
o a gene alised summa y o he main indings and a se o p oposals aimed a en iching
bo h academic and ope a ional deba e, o e ing an in e p e a i e amewo k.
A e he in oduc ion, he Sec ion 2examines he ans o ma ion o he meaning a -
ibu ed o he concep o u ili y h oughou he his o y o economic hough . The
Sec ion 3
p oposes a classi ica ion o he main heo e ical u ili y a ia ions, paying pa icula a en-
ion o he dis inc ions be ween dual u ili y, OU, PU, and hedonic and ins umen al u ili y.
Economies 2025,13, 283 3 o 20
The Sec ion 4explo es he na u e o PU, which is analysed in ou espec s: indi idual ac-
ion, in e pe sonal ela ions, communica i e in e subjec i e con ex s, and ins i u ionalised
p ocesses. The Sec ion 5discusses he heo e ical implica ions o ou wo k.
2. Resea ch F amewo k
F agmen a ion ha cha ac e ises economic analysis o u ili y and well-being makes i
challenging o compa e di e en app oaches and limi s he possibili y o d awing implica-
ions o esea ch and public policy. The heo e ical basis has been selec ed by combining
classic con ibu ions om wel a e economics and u ili y heo y wi h he mos ecen de-
elopmen s in he li e a u e o g ound he analysis in a solid and up- o-da e concep ual
amewo k. The esea ch gap iden i ied is he lack o an in eg a ed amewo k ela ing he
di e en analy ical and e minological adi ions.
Despi e he g owing numbe o con ibu ions in he economic, psychological and
philosophical ields, a sys ema ic e lec ion helps cla i y hei heo e ical links. To add ess
his gap, he li e a u e e iew was conduc ed using he scoping e iew amewo k (A k-
sey & O’Malley,2005;Le ac e al.,2010), which is sui able o explo ing complex and
mul idisciplina y esea ch ields. In pa icula , he p ocedu e in ol ed: (i) iden i ying he
p oblem and esea ch ques ions, (ii) de ining inclusion c i e ia, (iii) sys ema ic sea ching o
in e na ional da abases and he selec ion o con ibu ions h ough speci ic keywo ds, and
(i ) he in eg a ion o classical e e ences o he his o ical econs uc ion o he deba e.
This app oach ensu es a consis en selec ion o sou ces and allows us o dis inguish
be ween esul s de i ed om he li e a u e and o iginal con ibu ions p oposed in his
wo k. Ne e heless, ou analysis has some limi a ions, bo h in i s scope, which is a om
exhaus i e and in he necessa y simpli ica ions.
Gi en he abo emen ioned conside a ions, his s udy is based on he ollowing e-
sea ch ques ions: How ha e di e en heo e ical adi ions de ined and in e p e ed he
concep o u ili y and well-being? Wha a e he main concep ual and e minological con-
e gences and di e gences in he con empo a y li e a u e on u ili y and well-being? Wha
implica ions a ise om he analysis o he academic deba e and he de elopmen o well-
being-o ien ed public policies? I should be ecognised ha many concep s mo e explici
han u ili y exis o desc ibe p ope y owne ship, social wel a e, o indi idual sa is ac ion
and pleasu e, explaining such phenomena solely in e ms o u ili y emains p oblema ic.
Tha said, ou wo k con ibu es o educing he agmen a ion o u ili y analyses, acili a ing
compa ison among al e na i e app oaches and p o iding implica ions o public policy.
3. E olu ion o he U ili y Concep
The concep o u ili y has e ol ed ac oss he his o y o economic hough along wi h
signi ican changes in i s meaning (B oome,1991) e en i we hink ha signi ican changes
in he meaning o u ili y can be in e p e ed as pa allel and coexis ing meanings a he
han subs i u ions. B oome s a s om Ben ham’s o iginal de ini ion o u ili y, which is
inhe en in goods: “By u ili y is mean ha p ope y in any objec , whe eby i ends o
p oduce bene i , ad an age, pleasu e, good, o happiness
. . .
o
. . .
o p e en he happening
o mischie , pain, e il, o unhappiness o he pa y whose in e es is conside ed”.
Ini ially, u ili y e e ed o he p ope y o an objec ha ends o p oduce bene i , ad-
an age, pleasu e, o happiness o o p e en ha m, pain, o unhappiness (Ben ham,1996).
I is wo h no ing ha al hough Ben ham is emembe ed as he ounde o he hedonis ic
adi ion, he does no o e a single de ini ion o well-being bu unde s ands pleasu e and
pain as abb e ia ions o b oade ca ego ies o alue and dis alue. Fu he mo e, some o
he e ms he uses e e o a clea ly hedonic u ili y (pleasu e, good, and happiness in he
posi i e sense, and pain, e il, and unhappiness in he nega i e sense), while o he s e e
Economies 2025,13, 283 4 o 20
o a u ili y ha is no necessa ily only hedonic (bene i s and ad an ages in he posi i e
sense, ha m in he nega i e sense). The den is ’s d ill and he nu se’s sy inge undoub edly
p oduce bene i s and ad an ages, bu ha dly any pleasu e.
A i s concep ual change occu ed om his de ini ion o u ili y as an objec ’s capaci y
o gene a e bene i . Pleasu e and pain should he e o e be unde s ood as abb e ia ions
o b oade ca ego ies o alue and dis alue, making he measu emen o indi idual well-
being mo e ope a ional. G adually, u ili y came o be unde s ood no as he capaci y
o a good o p oduce bene i , bu as he ac ual bene i gene a ed o he owne . This
in e p e a ion has led o indi idual u ili y being conside ed he sum o he bene i s ob ained
om he goods, measu ing indi idual well-being mo e ope a ionally, a leas in heo y. The
second change conce ns he in oduc ion o he axioma ic app oach o e ealed p e e ences,
and a new app oach eme ged in which well-being is concei ed as a subjec i e s a e o
happiness, commonly measu ed h ough indica o s o subjec i e well-being. While he
concep o happiness has e ol ed ema kably, up o becoming closely associa ed wi h
he economic concep o u ili y, in luenced by philosophy, psychology, sociology, and
economics (Semeno & Nedeljko i´c,2023), he con e gence may be explained by he use
o he e m wi hin he e ealed p e e ence app oach. Happiness may in ol e u ili y and
measu emen challenges, wi h po en ial o subjec i e and objec i e app oaches (Ram a an
& Szenbe g,2021).
Eudaimonic u ili y ( om A is o le’s concep o eudaimonia, which, unlike he p e-
Soc a ic hedonis s, does no iden i y happiness wi h pleasu e bu wi h a i ue-o ien ed
li e) conside s well-being as he esul o a li e li ed in acco dance wi h one’s alues,
de elopmen o one’s po en ial and he achie emen o meaning ul goals (Hu a,2016;Ryan
& Deci,2001). No wi hs anding, well-being can be unde s ood as a b oade cons uc ha
in eg a es bo h elemen s (Hende son e al.,2013;Joshanloo e al.,2020;Panche a e al.,
2020) and e lec s bo h he hedonic and eudaimonic componen s. I u ili y is unde s ood
as a good’s capaci y o gene a e posi i e men al s a es, hen i is no su p ising ha he
hedonic bene i ecei ed by an indi idual comes o be conside ed u ili y and, by ex ension,
ha indi idual u ili y is de ined as he sum o bene i s de i ed om he goods possessed.
An ins umen al concep ion o u ili y e e s o he objec i e p ope ies o goods ha ha e
u ili y inso a as hey p oduce ma e ial bene i s. F om an ins umen al o an ou come
concep ion, he change in meaning was made possible by an unde lying shi om an
objec i e/ma e ial iew o u ili y o a subjec i e/hedonic iew.
The e o e, e i ying he au ho s’ use o he e m be o e Ben ham is impo an . Fo
example, Adam Smi h adop s an objec i e and ins umen al concep ion o u ili y in The
Weal h o Na ions, which he calls alue in use (Win ey,1993). A simila iew is ound in
Hume, which dis inguishes he use ul om he immedia ely ag eeable, ecognising ha ,
alongside u ili y as he basis o mo al app o al, he e a e quali ies ha people app o e o
simply because hey a e pleasan , ei he o hose who possess hem o o o he s (Sidgwick,
2011). Smi h’s objec i e concep ion o u ili y is consis en wi h ha o A is o le, whe e i
is s a ed ha weal h is no , mani es ly, he good we seek since i is used o p ocu e o he
hings; in his ega d, A is o le’s wo ks also shed ligh on he meaning o money (C espo,
2020) and i s ole. He e, he u ili y o ma e ial goods is unde s ood in an ins umen al
and objec i e sense; i is wo h no ing ha A is o le also uses he G eek e m ch eia, which
also has a subjec i e conno a ion, and Smi h also acknowledges he special pleasu e o
mu ual sympa hy ha can be desc ibed as an in e subjec i e o p ocedu al sou ce o
u ili y. Ch ema is ic indica es he IU o goods, e e ing o he e m ha designa es weal h.
This objec i e iew o u ili y has been p og essi ely eplaced by a subjec i e concep ion—
u ili a ianism. This shi can al eady be seen in Rica do’s w i ing (C emaschi,2004), in
which u ili y is no he measu e o exchange alue, ye is essen ial. The dis inc ion be ween
Economies 2025,13, 283 5 o 20
use alue and exchange alue, made by classical economis s, mo e clea ly a icula es he
easons o use alue and exchange, while also e ealing ha he alue o goods has a
social con en beyond he indi idual–objec ela ionship.
I a p oduc o a se ice we e useless, ha is, i i could no possibly con ibu e o ou
sa is ac ion, i would ha e no exchange alue, ega dless o how a e i migh be o how
much e o i migh ake o ob ain i (Rica do,2014;Robinson & S a a,1951). A subjec i e
concep ion o u ili y was also o mula ed by Mill, when he s a ed ha he u ili y o a good
in he es ima ion o he pu chase ep esen s he ex eme limi o i s exchange alue: a
highe alue is no possible, excep in excep ional ci cums ances (Mill,2010). Fo Mill, he
alue a ibu ed o use is iden i ied wi h he indi idual’s maximum willingness o pay.
The abo e-men ioned conside a ions lead o a dual concep ion o u ili y. On he one hand,
u ili y is linked o objec i e p ope ies— o example, he nu i ional alue o ood, which
a ec s physical and ma e ial well-being; simila ly, he p o ec i e capaci y o a accine o he
cu a i e powe o a medicine. On he o he hand, u ili y is associa ed wi h he subjec i e
ep esen a ion o ce ain quali ies—such as he adhe ence o a good o aes he ic o cul u al
s anda ds— ha gene a e hedonic well-being. Willingness o pay, he e o e, inco po a es
bo h componen s wi hou implying ha he objec i i y and subjec i i y o he sou ces o
u ili y a e on ologically equi alen .
In his con ex , in luences o ma ginalism and ma hema ical o malisa ion expanded
as he concep o u ili y de eloped ini ially as an al e na i e o he classical labou heo y
o alue. A signi ican economic me hodological choice in i s ea men o he concep o
u ili y is me hodological indi idualism, which is e y impo an o he concep o u ili y
(Kjosa ik,2003).
Au ho s such as Pa e o (McLu e,2008), Pan aleoni (Beca ini,2018) and Edgewo h
(Samuels,1992) played a ema kable ole in i s o malisa ion in he neoclassical adi ion.
Indeed, Pa e o ma ks a u ning poin by in oducing he o de o p e e ences (McLu e,2000;
Ven u a e al.,2016) and p ominen au ho s, including, among o he s, Je ons, Menge and
Wal as, ep esen he ini ial phase o neoclassicism while concei ing u ili y as measu able
(Mosca i,2013).
An example o his app oach is Edgewo h’s p oposal, who heo ised a hedonime e o
di ec ly measu e he pleasu e o pain expe ienced by indi iduals, exp essing he ambi ion o
measu e well-being as an obse able quan i a i e quan i y (Colande ,2007;Sky ms & Na ens,
2018). To he same oken, Pan aleoni main ains a hedonis ic basis while adop ing ma ginalis
easoning (Flux e al.,1898), and i is wo h men ioning he con ibu ion o Mazzola, who,
somehow an icipa ing he mode n heo y o public goods, s ipula ed he p inciple ha he
p o ision o public se ices should be guided by ma ginal cos (Faus o,2008).
Ma ginalis s concei ed u ili y as a quan i y measu able in ca dinal e ms, allowing
compa isons be ween goods and indi iduals. Wi h Pa e o’s con ibu ion, u ili y became
measu able in o dinal e ms, i.e., as an o de ing o p e e ences (Ba ley,2007). This ansi-
ion made i possible o o malise consume pu chasing choices ou side o psychological
measu emen s, gi ing shape o he axioma ic amewo k o e ealed p e e ences cen al o
neoclassical economics.
The amewo k con ains a numbe o di e en heo ies (Hands,2014), including he
p ominen Samuelson’s con ibu ion o he consume ’s choice pa adigm (Hou hakke ,
1950), in which u ili y becomes a o mal ool o economic analysis. The consolida ion o
o dinal u ili y can also be seen in Robbins’s concep o economics as decision science (Shiz-
gal,2012). Inco po a ing he app oaches o neoclassical economis s o he measu abili y
o u ili y, he concep has become a o mal ool in economic analysis. Tha said, me hods
ela ing o he measu abili y o u ili y ha e been c i icised (Blaug,1993).

Economies 2025,13, 283 6 o 20
This non-exhaus i e esume shows how u ili y has shi ed om an objec i e p ope y
o goods o a subjec i e s a e and inally o a o mal ool o choice heo y, and is help ul o
he app oaches discussed in he ollowing sec ions.
4. U ili y App oaches
The ma e ial and psychological na u e o he concep o u ili y e eals a mo e complex
iew o indi idual and collec i e well-being. We explo e his complexi y, examining
he in luence o dual u ili y on u ili a ian hinking, he dis inc ion be ween he ou come
u ili y and ha o p ocesses, and he ela ionship be ween ins umen al and HU, while
he e ealed p e e ence app oach shows how u ili y can be ea ed as an o dinal cons uc ,
independen o di ec psychological o no ma i e in e p e a ions
4.1. Dual U ili y and I s In luence on U ili a ianism and Consequen ialism
The dual na u e o u ili y acili a es a mo e s aigh o wa d in e p e a ion o many
economic phenomena. Fi s , he e is o en a ade-o be ween IU and HU: goods wi h
high IU, such as wa e , end o ha e a negligible hedonic componen , which explains he
low willingness o pay and he esul ing low exchange alue (Seol & Kim,2022;Shao &
Li,2021). Con e sely, goods wi h high hedonic con en , e.g., diamonds in he well-known
Smi h example, o en lack ins umen al p ope ies while gene a ing a high willingness o
pay. Second, he ac ha goods wi h high IU bu low HU ha e a low subjec i e alua ion
does no imply ha consume s comple ely dis ega d hei objec i e cha ac e is ics, o ha
hey a e no ele an . Fo example, a cooking po is use ul in a p ac ical sense, bu i
does no usually gene a e hedonis ic men al s a es in hose who use i . These e ec s also
include hose associa ed wi h goods ha ha e pu ely echnical o ins umen al unc ions.
These conside a ions ega ding he ela ionship be ween goods and indi iduals h ough
he lens o dual u ili y a e illus a ed in Figu e 1as an adap a ion o a diag am p oposed by
Colla d and Sen (1984). The main changes a e as ollows: (i) he dis inc ion be ween he wo
ca ego ies o u ili y, p ac ical/objec i e and hedonic/subjec i e, ep esen ed sepa a ely;
(ii) he di e en ia ion be ween ins umen al and hedonic unc ions.
Figu e 1. Concep s in ol ed in he ela ionship be ween goods and people. Sou ce: The au ho s.
As men ioned abo e, some goods a e cha ac e ised by high IU and low HU, while
o he s essen ially gene a e subjec i e u ili y, wi h no signi ican objec i e bene i s. Goods
Economies 2025,13, 283 7 o 20
ha ac i a e only one o he wo componen s a e a e, while goods ha p oduce opposing
e ec s a e mo e common because o he men ioned ade-o . A pa adigma ic example
o goods ha gene a e exclusi ely IU is a c ucial d ug o ea ing a speci ic disease. I s
consump ion does no p oduce any HU, ye indi iduals a e willing o pay o i . In his
scena io, he pe cei ed u ili y is en i ely a ibu able o he good’s unc ional p ope ies.
The subsequen eco e y will also p oduce hedonic e ec s, bu hese a e indi ec e ec s
compa ed o he use o he d ug. Examples o goods ha gene a e exclusi ely HU can be
in age ca s kep by collec o s o p o o ypes exhibi ed a mo o shows. These goods ha e no
IU bu a e desi able o indi iduals who de i e aes he ic, symbolic, o iden i y sa is ac ion
om hei possession. Collec able i ems, such as s amps and coins no longe in ci cula ion,
a e examples o HU: hei o iginal unc ion has ceased o exis , bu a willingness o pay
o hem emains, e lec ing emo ional, symbolic, o cul u al alue. The d ug men ioned
abo e may also be an example o goods wi h posi i e IU and nega i e HU; e.g., i may be
unpleasan o as e o cause unpleasan sensa ions when aken. One would expe ience an
objec i e bene i in e ms o heal h, bu his bene i is accompanied by a subjec i e dis alue
linked o he senso y expe ience. The complexi y inc eases i he d ug, while p oducing
a heal h imp o emen , causes side e ec s, e.g., a adia ion he apy o a accine. In his
scena io, posi i e IU, nega i e bu wi h low impac IU, and nega i e HU coexis , in ol ing
subjec i e assessmen s ha mus media e be ween con lic ing e ec s.
Nume ous cases all in o he ca ego y o goods wi h nega i e IU and posi i e HU,
such as eckless d i ing o high- isk spo s. Addic ions, e.g., o alcohol o smoking,
also belong o his class. In all hese cases, indi iduals a e subjec o objec i e dis alue,
po en ially ha ming hei heal h o sa e y. S ill, hey pe cei e a men al o emo ional bene i
su icien o compensa e o hese isks, a leas in he sho e m. Table 1con ains a o mal
ep esen a ion o he ou ca ego ies o goods, based on Equa ion (1), i.e., a u ili y unc ion
comp ising wo componen s, whe e Uis he o al u ili y pe cei ed by he subjec ,
Ui
,
e lec s he IU, and Uh, s ands o he HU.
U=Ui+Uh(1)
Table 1. Some app oaches o u ili y.
Type Cases
Ca ego y IU HU IU HU
Goods wi h only IU >0 =0
E ec i e d ug wi h no hedonic
impac
Value based solely on
unc ionali y
Goods wi h only HU =0 >0 Non- unc ional collec able ca ,
a e s amp No ins umen al unc ion
Posi i e IU, nega i e HU >0 <0 E ec i e bu unpleasan
medicine wi h side e ec s
Hedonic discom o
educes o e all alue
Nega i e IU, posi i e HU <0 >0
Ha m ul bu as y oods,
alcohol, d ugs, smoking,
eckless d i ing
Subjec i e pleasu e
ou weighs po en ial
objec i e ha m
Sou ce: he au ho s.
I should be no ed ha equa ions ep esen ing u ili y a e o malised as he sum o he
componen s, assuming hey a e linea ly sepa able. This simpli ica ion is ele an because,
e.g., nonlinea i ies, h eshold e ec s, o in e ac ions be ween componen s could be con-
side ed. The e o e, al hough we adop his sepa abili y o cla i y, iche unc ional o ms
could cap u e mo e complex ela ionships. This simpli ica ion is ele an because, e.g.,
nonlinea i ies, h eshold e ec s, o in e ac ions be ween componen s could be conside ed.
Economies 2025,13, 283 8 o 20
The e o e, al hough we adop his sepa abili y o cla i y, iche unc ional o ms could
cap u e mo e complex ela ionships. Table 1 esumes he u ili y
(Ui,Uh)
, acco ding o a
class o goods., acco ding o a class o goods.
The dual na u e o u ili y c ea es heo e ical issues o u ili a ianism. In pa icula , he
hedonic app oach o e looks he e ec s o he a ailabili y o he ma e ial ounda ions o
well-being ha do no gene a e men al pe cep ions and, he e o e, do no cons i u e psycho-
logical expe iences. Ma e ial well-being does no necessa ily coincide wi h psychological
well-being; hence, he wo dimensions should be assessed sepa a ely. Fo example, an ai
condi ioning machine imp o es well-being. Howe e , al hough ma e ial bene i s pe sis
o e ime, psychological bene i s end o ade wi h habi . Con e sely, a machine ailu e
educes well-being a bo h le els. Mo e gene ally, wel a e app oaches end o conside
OU, neglec ing wo elemen s: HU can also be de i ed om he p ocesses ha lead o he
ou come, and ela ional goods can be p oduced by in e pe sonal in e ac ions no aimed a
speci ic ou comes.
Thus, while ma e ial goods gene a e well-being only when ob ained, psychological
e ec s can a ise om he a ailabili y o hese goods and he pa h o ob aining hem (Hahn,
1982;S u ze & F ey,2006). Fu he mo e, communica i e in e ac ion be ween people,
linguis ic exchange ins ead o comme cial exchange, is p ocedu al and can lead o Pa e o
imp o emen s wi hou changing ou comes. These exchanges do no al e ma e ial well-
being bu a ec subjec i e well-being. Thus, he u ili y can be conside ed a complex se
o a leas ou componen s: ou come IU, ou come HU, p ocedu al, and communica i e
u ili y. Equa ion (2) o malises he u ili y unc ion in o a ou -componen o m as a gued,
whe e U
i,o
is he IU om he ou come, ollowed by h ee HU: U
h,o
om he ou come, U
h,p
e e s o p ocedu e, and Uh,com he communica i e.
U=Ui,o+Uh,o+Uh,p +Uh,com (2)
Classical u ili a ian heo ies ha ocus p ima ily on U
h,o
neglec s able le els o ma-
e ial well-being U
i,o,
he ele ance o p ocedu es U
h,p
, and he ole o ela ional and
communica i e goods Uh,com.
Simila ly, adi ional wel a ism isks assessing quali y o li e solely based on angible
and pe cei ed ou comes, igno ing pa hways and ela ionships Uh,com.
4.2. Ou come and P ocedu al U ili y
I we do no conside he goods achie ed in he ou come as he only sou ce o u ili y,
we mus also examine he ypes o well-being ha a e no de i ed om ou comes (Kamini z,
2017). Indeed, people also alue he p ocedu es ha lead o he ou comes (F ey,2004).
Hahn, o example, p oposes h ee examples in which he same ou come can be achie ed
h ough di e en pa hs: choosing o being o ced o ake a job wi h ce ain cha ac e is ics
and emune a ion, choosing o being o ced o pa icipa e in a dange ous mili a y mission,
and choosing o being o ced o alloca e pa o one’s income o a cha i able cause (Hahn,
1982). In all hese cases, he ou comes a e iden ical, bu he p ocess ha made hem possible
changes. E en i indi iduals chose he same op ions, i is in ui i ely accep able ha hey
would p e e o a i e he e h ough ee a he han compulso y ac ion. Acco dingly, an
indi idual’s u ili y unc ion depends no only on he goods ob ained Q h ough an ac ion
A, ha is
Ui=Ui(Qi(A))
bu also on he u ili y de i ed om he ac ion i sel , which can
be o malised as
Ui=Ui(A,Qi(A))
: Fo ins ance, he classical G eek he o who olun a ily
sac i ices himsel in ba le o de end his polis is a pa adigma ic case in which he hedonic
u ili y o he ac ion i sel exceeds he disu ili y, hedonic and o he wise, o he loss o li e
i sel . The same canno be said o he Wo ld Wa I in an yman sen , by his commande s, o
die in u ile assaul s.
Economies 2025,13, 283 9 o 20
Remo ing he possibili y o choice changes he u ili y, e en i he goods ob ained e-
main unchanged. While no a adical change, he in oduc ion o PU could ha e signi ican
implica ions o he analysis o wel a e economics and he e ec i eness o wel a e sys ems.
4.3. Hedonic and Ins umen al U ili y
The u ili y o au onomy is one o se e al possible o ms o PU, and some ecen
de elopmen s a e wo h conside ing since indi iduals e alua e ac ual ou comes and also
he condi ions and p ocesses ha lead o hem (F ey & S u ze ,2000). The economic concep
o u ili y is ou come-o ien ed, whe e indi idual u ili y is seen in e ms o he bene i s and
cos s associa ed wi h ins umen al ou comes. In con as , PU e e s o p ocesses’ non-
ins umen al, posi i e, and nega i e sa is ac ion. The au ho s highligh PU’s psychological
na u e, con as ing i wi h IU, cha ac e ising he ou come; PU emphasises he u ili y’s
hedonic con en . They also link he concep o PU o he sense o sel and sel -es eem,
which in luence people’s well-being and a e condi ioned by decision-making p ocesses
and in e ac ions wi h ins i u ions and o he indi iduals. This can be summa ised as a dual
concep ion o u ili y, which, s a ing om he concep in (F ey & S u ze ,2000) is depic ed
in Figu e 2.
Figu e 2. Hedonic PU and he OU. Sou ce: he au ho s.
While we ag ee wi h he dis inc ion highligh ed in Figu e 2and he impo ance o he
well-being de i ed om he ea men indi iduals expe ience wi hin ins i u ionalised p o-
cesses, we belie e he scheme can be implemen ed as depic ed in Figu e 3(Implemen a ion
o he dis inc ion o u ili y e e ed o in Figu e 2, wi h he addi ion o ou o he ypes
o u ili y ha in luence human well-being). This scheme includes he di e en ypes o
u ili y ha can a ec human well-being, when well-being is unde s ood su icien ly b oadly
and when he in e ac ions among indi iduals and be ween indi iduals and ins i u ions
a e conside ed.
A dis inc ion is made be ween p ocedu al, ins umen al, hedonic, and o he o ms
o u ili y ela ed o in e ac ions be ween indi iduals and ins i u ions. Figu e 3 e ains he
dis inc ion be ween he u ili ies in oduced in Figu e 2(le el 2) and ou a e added. I
should be no ed ha he diag am is in ended o ep esen only he wel a e e ec s ha
acc ue o an indi idual as a esul o ac ions, while, in gene al, i is clea ha e en hough s
ha do no ansla e in o ac ions a e capable o gene a ing hedonic e ec s, bo h posi i e
and nega i e.
Ac ions ha can in luence a pe son’s well-being all in o di e en ca ego ies based on
who unde akes hem: he same bene icia y o he wel a e e ec , a collec i e ins i u ion, a
di e en pe son wi h whom he e a e a ec i e links, such as o en ail an in e dependence
o u ili ies. In he i s case, i.e., bene icia y, he u ili y can be u he sepa a ed in o he
ollowing ypes:
•
PU a ises om he me hod selec ed o ac , as ou lined in Figu e 3(U1). Conside
he ask o lawn mowing: an indi idual can ei he pe o m he ask pe sonally o
ou sou ce i , e.g., pay o a ga den main enance se ice. I he indi idual expe iences
Economies 2025,13, 283 16 o 20
p ocedu es ha lead o hose ou comes, especially in he e ealed p e e ence app oach,
whe e u ili y is in e p e ed as a o mal ep esen a ion o choices.
Wi hou in es iga ing subjec i e mo i a ions, his app oach allows consume s o
in eg a e hei ou come’s ch ema is ic and hedonic componen s in o hei e alua ions.
Howe e , i igno es PU by ailing o conside wha is no di ec ly e lec ed in ou comes,
and his becomes p oblema ic when he heo y e e s o public choices. In o he a eas,
p ocedu al componen s, such as communica i e ones, may be cen al o assessing well-
being. In his sense, he choices do no always e lec he s a es ha maximise o e all u ili y.
Fo example, an indi idual may p e e ou come X o s a e Y, no because X is be e , bu
because Y in ol es a p ocedu al iola ion. This calls in o ques ion he assump ion o a
double bind be ween choices, p e e ences, and well-being. Equa ing choice wi h consen is
misleading: an agen may choose one ou come o e ano he wi hou consen ing o he i s ,
e.g., when choices a e imposed.
P e e ences can be desc ibed so ha hei co espondence wi h choices is p ese ed, o
o keep hem in line wi h well-being as unde s ood by he indi idual in ques ion; howe e ,
i is no gene ally possible o gua an ee bo h simul aneously. I is easonable o assume ha ,
all o he hings being equal, an indi idual p e e s a mo e use ul ou come and ha hei
choices e lec hese p e e ences. Howe e , i canno be assumed ha p e e ences–choices
and p e e ences–well-being always coincide, especially in he p esence o p ocedu al
e ec s. Schola s employ many empi ical app oaches o ob ain in o ma ion on well-being
(Boswo h e al.,2024). Consis en ly, he happiness and economics app oach eco e s a
hedonic concep ion o u ili y by di ec ly measu ing subjec i e well-being using su eys
widely used in con empo a y esea ch (Dziechcia z,2024).
Ou a gumen is wo old: i s , o eco e he dis inc ion be ween CU and HU; sec-
ond, o ex end he no ion o PU om ins i u ionalised con ex s o indi idual ac ions and
in e subjec i e ela ionships. Bo h ex ensions open up in e p e a i e spaces in es ablished
economic heo ies. Exis ing heo e ical co ne s ones o economics, such as expec ed u ili y
heo y and game heo y, gene ally de ine p e e ences in e ms o mone a y gains and, in
any case, achie able ou comes. The idea ha ou comes a e he only u ili y sou ce and he
sole d i e o beha iou has become a e in economics. Ye indi iduals also ca e abou
how ou comes a e gene a ed; hese p ocess p e e ences gene a e PU. The econs uc ion o
he concep ual e olu ion o u ili y shows ha each le el adds speci ic implica ions. The
objec i e dimension highligh s he ole o basic needs and unde pins a gumen s abou
edis ibu ion and wel a e gua an ees. The subjec i e dimension emphasises he he e o-
genei y o indi idual p e e ences; o his ex en , he e is e idence o p e e ence con o mism
(Fa as e al.,2018) and he cen ali y o sa is ac ion. The p ocedu al dimension e eals
how decisions a e made, and he esul ing ecogni ion can gene a e u ili y. The dis inc ion
be ween OU and PU, he e o e, in i es us o econside he alidi y o OU as a su icien
basis o collec i e choices, a alidi y ha appea s weakened once p ocedu al aspec s a e
acknowledged. A he same ime, he dis inc ion be ween CU and HU aises u he ques-
ions abou he legi imacy o collec i e choices made by coe ci e ins i u ions. Recognising
he p io i y o CU, linked o he sa is ac ion o basic needs, p o ides a s onge jus i ica ion
o edis ibu i e policies han he u ili a ian amewo k elying solely on he hypo hesis o
dec easing ma ginal u ili y o income. On he one hand, he s a e gene a es u ili y h ough
ins i u ional p ocesses; on he o he hand, i axa ion and wel a e sys ems a e adequa ely
de ined, i p oduces edis ibu i e e ec s ha ans o m he mainly HU o axpaye s in o
he mainly CU o bene icia ies. Since Bisma ck and ea ly 20 h-cen u y social libe alism,
wel a e sys ems ha e always aimed o sa is y he essen ial, and he e o e ma e ial, needs o
he mos disad an aged classes, a he han o gene a e HU o hem as a subs i u e o

Economies 2025,13, 283 17 o 20
ma ke choices hey canno a o d. These pe spec i es sugges ha public policy design
bene i s om ecognising ou comes, p ocesses and symbolic aspec s o choices.
7. Conclusions
By add essing he concep ual agmen a ion ha cha ac e ises he deba e on u ili y,
we discussed how di e en heo e ical adi ions ha e in e p e ed u ili y and well-being,
he con e gences and di e gences in he con empo a y li e a u e, and he co esponding
public policy implica ions. Despi e he plu ali y o app oaches, i is possible o iden i y
common elemen s and complemen a i ies ha p o ide a basis o cohe en e lec ion.
F om an academic poin o iew, his cla i ies he heo e ical ounda ions o he concep o
u ili y; om a p ac ical poin o iew, i sugges s ha policies, beside sho e m ou comes,
should ocus on building s uc u al condi ions o indi idual and collec i e well-being.
Reco e ing he dis inc ion be ween CU and HU p inciples while acknowledging he ole o
PU p o ides use ul in e p e a i e ools and s eng hens he jus i ica ion o public policies.
F om a public policy pe spec i e, we poin ou ha well-de ined ins i u ions, dis ibu i e
jus ice, and wel a e sys ems, play a ema kable ole in ans o ming axpaye s’ HU in o he
CU o bene icia ies, enhancing, in u n, he e ec i eness and e iciency o public polices.
Au ho Con ibu ions: The au ho s join ly con ibu ed o he a icle concep ualiza ion, o mal
analysis, and w i ing. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen : No applicable.
In o med Consen S a emen : No applicable.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen : No applicable.
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
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