Among non Exponential Discounting (ED) models, introduced to capture time inconsistent choices, Hyperbolic Discounting (HD) recently gained particular relevance. This paper points out that, for some particular payoff structures, HD can also represent consistent preferences

Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying intertemporal preference for symmetric gains and losses in certain conditions, by asking subjects to choose between two gains or two losses available at different points in time. Our data...

According to recent evidence (Frederick, Loewenstein, & O’Donoghue, 2002), the traditional Discounted Utility model (Samuelson, 1937) has a limited ability to describe realistic models of behaviour and indeed there are several documented empirical regularities that seem to contradict this...

Patenting is a most common strategies to protect and commercially exploit innovations. Patented inventions could be licensed on the market, and its use allowed to interested parties at a price. Therefore, many organizations have to form desirable combinations of licenses, to perform efficiently...

Recent years witnessed a gradual change on how to evaluate successful procurement, in both the private ad the public sector. Indeed from a price-only criterion for measuring success, decisions shifted to a multi-criteria approach where various dimensions of quality, as well as price, are...

A main issue in auction and contest design is how to attract the appropriate pool of potential bidders to enter and compete aggressively. In all-pay auctions with complete information (Baye at al, 1993 AER) formulated the so called “Exclusion Principle” showing that when the auctioneer...

Epidemic, infectious, diseases are a major concern worldwide. Globalization, easy transportation, increased population and climate change all can contribute to their diffusion and persistence in large communities. Based on established knowledge on epidemic diffusion processes, the paper poses...

In recent years neglected diseases attracted much attention. In particular, a debate has developed on which incentive scheme could be more effective to stimulate R&D investments, by pharmaceutical companies, to treat such diseases. The debate took place in conferences, academic journals, reports...

In the Italian Football League rights to a player’s performance could be co-owned by two clubs for one year. Co-ownership must then be resolved and if the clubs fail finding an agreement they are asked by the League to participate to an auction, where each of them submits a price offer for the...

According to the Lisbon Strategy innovation is considered to be a fundamental element for socio-economic growth in the EU. In particular, since it is estimated to count for about 16-18% of the European GDP, public procurement can be a driving force for this. To support this role in 2007 the EC...