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Eliciting Risk and Time Preferences

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Author Info
Steffen Andersen
Glenn W. Harrison
Morten I. Lau
E. Elisabet Rutström

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Abstract

We design experiments to jointly elicit risk and time preferences for the adult Danish population. Since subjects are generally risk averse, we find that joint elicitation provides estimates of discount rates that are significantly lower than those found in previous studies and more in line with what would be considered as a priori reasonable rates. The statistical specification relies on a theoretical framework that involves a latent trade-off between long-run optimization and short-run temptation. Estimation of this specification is undertaken using structural, maximum likelihood methods. Our main results based on exponential discounting are robust to alternative specifications such as hyperbolic discounting. These results have direct implications for attempts to elicit time preferences, as well as debates over the appropriate domain of the utility function when characterizing risk aversion and time consistency. Copyright Copyright 2008 by The Econometric Society.

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1468-0262.2008.00848.x
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Publisher Info
Article provided by Econometric Society in its journal Econometrica.

Volume (Year): 76 (2008)
Issue (Month): 3 (05)
Pages: 583-618
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Handle: RePEc:ecm:emetrp:v:76:y:2008:i:3:p:583-618

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  1. Booij, Adam S. & van Praag, Bernard M. S. & van de Kuilen, Gijs, 2009. "A Parametric Analysis of Prospect Theory's Functionals for the General Population," IZA Discussion Papers 4117, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  2. Armin Falk & Thomas Dohmen & Uwe Sunde, 2009. "Kontrolliert und repräsentativ: Beispiele zur Komplementarität von Labor- und Felddaten," SOEPpapers 168, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). [Downloadable!]
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  3. Meier, Stephan & Sprenger, Charles, 2009. "Present-Biased Preferences and Credit Card Borrowing," IZA Discussion Papers 4198, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  4. Thomas Dohmen & Armin Falk & David Huffman & Uwe Sunde, 2007. "Are Risk Aversion and Impatience Related to Cognitive Ability?," IZA Discussion Papers 2735, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  5. Nguyen, Quang, 2009. "Do fishermen have different preferences?: Insights from an experimental study and household data," MPRA Paper 16012, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  6. Stephan Meier & Charles Sprenger, 2007. "Selection into financial literacy programs: evidence from a field study," Public Policy Discussion Paper 07-5, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. [Downloadable!]
  7. Meier, Stephan & Sprenger, Charles, 2008. "Discounting Financial Literacy: Time Preferences and Participation in Financial Education Programs," IZA Discussion Papers 3507, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  8. Wilcox, Nathaniel, 2007. "Stochastically more risk averse: A contextual theory of stochastic discrete choice under risk," MPRA Paper 11851, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  9. Bauer, Michal & Chytilová, Julie, 2009. "Women, Children and Patience: Experimental Evidence from Indian Villages," IZA Discussion Papers 4241, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  10. Robin Cubitt & Daniel Read, 2007. "Can intertemporal choice experiments elicit time preferences for consumption?," Experimental Economics, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 369-389, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Eike B. Kroll & Bodo Vogt, 2008. "Loss Aversion for time: An experimental investigation of time preferences," FEMM Working Papers 08027, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Economics and Management. [Downloadable!]
  12. Stephan Meier & Charles Sprenger, 2007. "Impatience and credit behavior: evidence from a field experiment," Working Papers 07-3, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. [Downloadable!]
  13. Kendra N. McLeish & Robert J. Oxoby, 2007. "Gender, Affect and Intertemporal Consistency: An Experimental Approach," IZA Discussion Papers 2663, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  14. Glenn Harrison & E. Rutström, 2009. "Expected utility theory and prospect theory: one wedding and a decent funeral," Experimental Economics, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 133-158, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Glenn W Harrison, 2008. "Neuroeconomics: A Critical Reconsideration," Levine's Working Paper Archive 122247000000001915, David K. Levine. [Downloadable!]
  16. Arthur Robson & Larry Samuelson, 2008. "The Evolution of Time Preference with Aggregate Uncertainty," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1678, Cowles Foundation, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Ali al-Nowaihi & Sanjit Dhami, 2008. "A general theory of time discounting: The reference-time theory of intertemporal choice," Discussion Papers in Economics 08/22, Department of Economics, University of Leicester. [Downloadable!]
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  18. Paola Manzini & Marco Mariotti, 2007. "Choice Over Time," IZA Discussion Papers 2993, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  19. Glenn W. Harrison & Eric Johnson & Melayne M. McInnes & E. Elisabet Rutstrom, 2005. "Risk Aversion and Incentive Effects: Comment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 897-901, June. [Downloadable!]
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