Economics as political theory

For instance, the modern welfare economic focus on Pareto improvements does not make sense within a Hobbesian means to ends framework. Hobbesians who seek means to pursue their own ends have good reason to impose their own values on others if they can. If they can get their way only if others are interested in it as well, they have a good reason to bring together a sufficiently powerful winning coalition. Yet they cannot have other rational reasons than prudential ones to restrain themselves from searching for Pareto improvements. Only if all individuals can, as a matter of fact, block change will Hobbesian/ Robbinsian normative economists have a reason to suggest that they behave as if Kantian.