We introduce a new class of preferences — which we call additive-belief-based (ABB) utility — that captures a general, but still tractable, approach to belief-based utility, and that encompasses many popular models in the behavioral literature. We axiomatize a general class of ABB preferences, as well as two prominent special cases that allow utility to depend on the level of each period’s beli...

We consider a class of law invariant utilities which contains the Rank Dependent Expected Utility (RDU) and the cumulative prospect theory (CPT). We show that the computation of demand for a contingent claim when utilities are within that class, although not as simple as in the Expected Utility (EU) case, is still tractable. Specific attention is given to the RDU and to the CPT cases. Numerous ...

Committee decision making is examined in this study focusing on the role assigned to the committee members. In particular, we are concerned about the comparison between committee performance under specialization and non-specialization of the decision makers. JEL Classification number: D81, D71

The subjective framework for reasoning is extended to incorporate the representation of unawareness in games. Both unawareness of actions and decision makers are modeled as well as reasoning about others’ unawareness. It is shown that a small grain of uncertainty about unawareness with rational decision makers can lead to cooperation in the finitely repeated prisoner’s dilemma. JEL Classificati...

The measure approach represents a preference relation over functions by the measure of Ž . their epigraphs or hypographs . This paper proves a measure representation theorem for a class of increasing functions and shows how its proof can be modified to yield another measure representation theorem for functions of bounded variation. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. JEL classification: D81

We show that a steeply increasing workload before a deadline is compatible with time-consistent preferences. The key departure from the literature is that we consider a stochastic environment where success of effort is not guaranteed. JEL Classification: D91, J22, D81, D11.

People are sometimes risk-averse in gains but risk-loving in losses. Such behavior and other anomalies underlying prospect theory arise from a model of local status maximization in which consumers compare their wealth with other consumers of similar wealth. This social explanation shares key features with the psychological explanation offered by Kahneman and Tversky. JEL Classification: D81, D11

Approximate Incremental Value-at-Risk formulae provide an easy-to-use preliminary guideline for risk allocation. Both the cases of risk adding and risk pooling are examined and beta-based formulae achieved. Results highlight how much the conditions for adding new risky positions are stronger than those required for risk pooling. JEL classification: C13; D81; G11; G12.

We apply Pires’s coherence property between unconditional and conditional preferences that admit a CEU representation. In conjunction with consequentialism (only those outcomes on states which are still possible can matter for conditional preference) this implies that the conditional preference may be obtained from the unconditional preference by taking the Full Bayesian Update of the capacity....

In the context of finite normal form games, this paper addresses the formalization and implications of the hypothesis that players are rational and that this is common knowledge. The innovation is to admit notions of rationality other than subjective expected utility maximization. For example, rationality can be defined by the alternative restrictions that preferences are probabilistically soph...