We examine the investment decision problem of a group whose members have heterogeneous time preferences. In particular, they have different discount factors for utility, possibly not exponential. We characterize the properties of efficient allocations of resources and of shadow prices that would...

Risk aversion can be defined either by the negative sign of the second derivative of the utility function or by the rejection of any mean-preserving increase in risk. The more recent notions of prudence and temperance have so far been defined exclusively by the sign of the third and the fourth...

Since Fishburn and Porter [1976], it has been known that a first- order dominant shift in the distribution of random returns of an asset does not necessarily induce a risk-averse decision maker to increase his holdings of that improved asset. To obtain the desired comparative statics result, one...

<Para ID="Par1">We examine the characteristics of the optimal insurance contract under linear transaction costs and an ambiguous distribution of losses. Under the standard expected utility model, we know from Arrow (<CitationRef CitationID="CR3">1965</CitationRef>) that it contains a straight deductible. In this paper, we assume that the policyholder is...</citationref></para>

We examine the characteristics of the optimal insurance contract under linear transaction cost and an ambiguous distribution of losses. Under the standard expected utility model, we know from Arrow (1965) that it contains a straight deductible. In this paper, we assume that the policyholder is...

Coherent-ambiguity aversion is defined within the (Klibanoff et al., Econometrica 73:1849–1892, <CitationRef CitationID="CR40">2005</CitationRef>) smooth-ambiguity model (henceforth KMM) as the combination of choice-ambiguity and value-ambiguity aversion. Five ambiguous decision tasks are analyzed theoretically, where an individual faces...</citationref>

Weitzman (1998, 2001) proposed a simple “gamma discounting” method to characterize the term structure of discount rates today from the sole distribution of future spot interest rates. This rule which justifies using a smaller discount rate for longer maturities is now used for long-term...

As in any research field, risk theory has its important questions, results, and paradoxes, as well as its seminal papers and key authors. Louis Eeckhoudt has been a key author in the field of risk theory. To celebrate his many contributions and continue the development of theories of decision...

[eng] Which Discount Rate for Which Future? The choice of the discount rate raises a very simple question : do we prefer (1 + r)-t euro immediately or 1 euro in t years ? By introspection, one can guess that the answer to this question depends upon our expectations concerning our living standard...