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Allais for the Poor: Relations to Ability, Information Processing and Risk Attitudes

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  • Tabea Herrmann
  • Olaf Hübler
  • Lukas Menkhoff
  • Ulrich Schmidt

Abstract

This paper complements evidence on the Allais paradox from advanced countries and educated people by a novel investigation in a poor rural area. The share of Allais-type behavior is indeed high and related to characteristics of “lacking ability”, such as poor education, unemployment, and little financial sophistication. Based on prospective reference theory, we extend these characteristics by biased processing of probabilistic information. Finally, we reveal that Allais-type behavior is linked to risk-related characteristics, such as risk tolerance and optimism. This indicates a potential problem as exactly the more dynamic among the poor tend to make inconsistent decisions under uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Tabea Herrmann & Olaf Hübler & Lukas Menkhoff & Ulrich Schmidt, 2017. "Allais for the Poor: Relations to Ability, Information Processing and Risk Attitudes," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1645, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1645
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    2. Pavlo Blavatskyy & Valentyn Panchenko & Andreas Ortmann, 2023. "How common is the common-ratio effect?," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 26(2), pages 253-272, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Field experiments; Allais paradox; socio-demographic characteristics; prospective reference theory; first order stochastic dominance; risk attitude; optimism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D3 - Microeconomics - - Distribution
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General

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