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Strotz meets Allais: Diminishing Impatience and the Certainty Effect

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Halevy, Yoram

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Abstract

Decision makers tend to exhibit a higher degree of impatience when considering a delay to an immediate reward than when contemplating an identical delay to an equal future reward. This work argues that diminishing impatience originates from the distinction between the certain present and the risky future. A simple functional representation of preferences, which exhibits time inconsistency when the future is uncertain, is derived. Existing experimental evidence, which is inconsistent with other formulations that account for diminishing impatience, supports the proposed approach. Furthermore, the new theory uncovers a tight relation between diminishing impatience and well-known behavioral regularities in the field of choice under risk and uncertainty

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Paper provided by Microeconomics.ca Website in its series Micro Theory Working Papers with number halevy-04-10-29-10-08-43.

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Length: 38 pages
Date of creation: 29 Oct 2004
Date of revision: 19 Jun 2008
Handle: RePEc:ubc:pmicro:halevy-04-10-29-10-08-43

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Related research
Keywords: Intertemporal Substitution; Non-Expected Utility; The Dual Theory; Certainty Effect; Time Consistency; Uncertain Lifetime; Exponential Discounting; Hy;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
D91 - Microeconomics - - Intertemporal Choice and Growth - - - Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving

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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.)

  1. Norio Takeoka, 2006. "Temptation, Certainty Effect, and Diminishing Self-Control," Levine's Bibliography 321307000000000507, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Stefania Albanesi & Claudia Olivetti, 2007. "Gender Roles and Technological Progress," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series WP2007-029, Boston University - Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Marco Casari, 2009. "Pre-commitment and flexibility in a time decision experiment," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 117-141, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Jawwad Noor, 2005. "Choice and Normative Preference," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series WP2005-039, Boston University - Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Jawwad Noor, 2007. "Hyperbolic Discounting and the Standard," Levine's Bibliography 321307000000000939, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  6. Hanming Fang & Dan Silverman, 2007. "Time-Inconsistency and Welfare Program Participation: Evidence from the NLSY," NBER Working Papers 13375, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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