In
welfare economics, a
social welfare function is a
function that ranks social states (alternative complete descriptions of the society) as less desirable, more desirable, or
indifferent for every possible pair of social states. Inputs of the function include any variables considered to affect the
economic welfare of a society. In using welfare measures of persons in the society as inputs, the social welfare function is
individualistic in form. One use of a social welfare function is to
represent prospective patterns of collective choice as to alternative social states.