Jun Hyun Ji
2026
My wife is upset about the undone dishes.
I ask, “Why didn’t you just tell me to do it?”
She says, “Because you should want to do it.”
I develop an axiomatic framework for preferences over choices, where an evaluator values each observed choice for its outcome and for the quality of the choice itself, which reflects her own assessment of how well the choice aligns with good preferences. I define “second-order preference” through an axiom capturing how choice quality is relative to available alternatives. Within the expected-utility framework, my axioms yield a unique representation that separately identifies the evaluator’s preference for outcomes and her second-order preference. As a special case, the model accommodates temptation and self-control as determinants of choice quality, generating a trade-off between achieving the best outcome and making the best choice. The framework provides a revealed-preference characterization of preferences over preferences, with implications for menu choice and welfare evaluation.