This note determines the precise connection between an agent’s attitude towards income risks and his attitude over risks in the underlying consumption space. Our results follow from a general mathematical theory connecting the curvature properties of an objective function with the ray-curvature properties of its dual.

Expected utility functions are limited to second-order (conditional) risk aversion, while non-expected utility functions can exhibit either …rst-order or second-order (conditional) risk aversion. We extend the concept of orders of conditional risk aversion to orders of conditional dependent risk aversion. We show that …rst-order conditional dependent risk aversion is consistent with the framewo...

Each agent j [ 1, . . . , N receives an independent shock influencing her degree of risk aversion, then h j undertakes a risky or safe investment. Prior investment in ‘related’ industries reduces the uncertainty. The shock history and this intertemporal interaction determine the long-run growth rate.  2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Bargaining problems are considered where the preferences of the bargainers deviate from expected utility but can be modelled according to rank dependent utility theory. Under rank dependent utility both the utility function and the probability weighting function influence the risk attitude of a decision maker. The same definition of risk aversion leads to two forms of risk aversion: utility ris...

This paper analyzes, for S-shaped value functions, the relations between loss aversion and perceptionally risk aversion (i.e. computed with the perceived probability weights) in Cumulative Prospect Theory . We show that perceptionally risk aversion for mixed sign lotteries is equivalent to weak (or strong) loss aversion, so this is the right assumption to get a sensible behavior towards risk. T...

Building on Kihlstrom and Mirman (1974)’s formulation of risk aversion in the case of multidimensional utility functions, we study the effect of risk aversion on optimal behavior in a general consumer’s maximization problem under uncertainty. We completely characterize the relationship between changes in risk aversion and classical demand theory. We show that the effect of risk aversion on opti...

We formulate and carry out an analytical treatment of a single-period portfolio choice model featuring a reference point in wealth, S-shaped utility (value) functions with loss aversion, and probability weighting under Kahneman and Tversky’s cumulative prospect theory (CPT). We introduce a new measure of loss aversion for large payoffs, called the large-loss aversion degree (LLAD), and show tha...

This paper formulates a single-period portfolio choice model under Kahneman and Tversky’s cumulative prospect theory, featuring a reference point in wealth, S-shaped utility (value) functions with loss aversion, and distortions in probability. An analytical treatment of the model is carried out. A new measure of loss aversion for large payoffs, called the loss aversion degree (LAD), is introduc...

Risk aversion is a key element of utility maximizing hedge strategies; however, it has typically been assigned an arbitrary value in the literature. This paper instead applies a GARCH-in-Mean (GARCH-M) model to estimate a time-varying measure of risk aversion that is based on the observed risk preferences of energy hedging market participants. The resulting estimates are applied to derive expli...

We correlate choice under risk in Holt-Laury lottery tasks for gains and losses with salivary testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and cortisol, the use of hormonal contraceptives, menstrual cycle information as well as the digit ratio (2D:4D) in more than 200 subjects. Risk aversion is negatively correlated with testosterone and positively correlated with cortisol, a stress hormone, for gain...