We introduce a novel method of modelling contests that avoids the complexities encountered by the "best response function" approach. We analyse contests in which (i) there are many risk averse players, (ii) attitudes to risk may differ across individuals, and (iii) the technology that transforms rent-seeking effort into probability of winning may also differ across individuals. We establish that, if every player has a constant degree of absolute risk aversion, a unique equilibrium exists. We also establish comparative static results and examine how the level of rent dissipation is affected by the heterogeneity of attitudes towards risk and the precise nature of the technology. Copyright 2003 by Kluwer Academic Publishers
Download Info
To download:
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the
proper application to
view it first. Information about this may be contained
in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read
the IDEAS help
page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS
site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Publisher Info
Article provided by Springer in its journal Public Choice.
Volume (Year): 117 (2003) Issue (Month): 1-2 (October) Pages: 1-25 Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML
(with abstract),
plain text
(with abstract),
BibTeX,
RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite),
ReDIF
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christopher F. Baum).
Related research
Keywords:
Cited by: (explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)