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The risk premium and the effects of risk on agents utility

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  • Menegatti, Mario

Abstract

This work shows that the risk premium can be a mistaken measure of the reduction in utility caused by risk since, when different levels of wealth are considered, the relative size of the former is related to that of the latter only in some cases. The analysis indicates that this is because the size of the risk premium depends both on the size of the disutility due to risk and on the size of the marginal utility of money. Some simple economic problems where this conclusion is relevant are examined. The paper shows which inferences on agents behaviour can and cannot be drawn in these cases.

Suggested Citation

  • Menegatti, Mario, 2011. "The risk premium and the effects of risk on agents utility," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 89-94, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reecon:v:65:y:2011:i:2:p:89-94
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Louis Eeckhoudt & Harris Schlesinger, 2006. "Putting Risk in Its Proper Place," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(1), pages 280-289, March.
    2. Menegatti, Mario, 2001. "On the Conditions for Precautionary Saving," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 189-193, May.
    3. Kimball, Miles S, 1990. "Precautionary Saving in the Small and in the Large," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(1), pages 53-73, January.
    4. Louis Eeckhoudt & Béatrice Rey & Harris Schlesinger, 2007. "A Good Sign for Multivariate Risk Taking," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(1), pages 117-124, January.
    5. Eeckhoudt, Louis & Schlesinger, Harris, 2008. "Changes in risk and the demand for saving," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(7), pages 1329-1336, October.
    6. Kunreuther, Howard & Kleindorfer, Paul & Knez, Peter J. & Yaksick, Rudy, 1987. "A compensation mechanism for siting noxious facilities: Theory and experimental design," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 371-383, December.
    7. M. Menegatti, 2007. "A new interpretation for the precautionary saving motive: a note," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 275-280, December.
    8. Milton Friedman & L. J. Savage, 1948. "The Utility Analysis of Choices Involving Risk," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56, pages 279-279.
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    Cited by:

    1. Baiardi, Donatella & De Donno, Marzia & Magnani, Marco & Menegatti, Mario, 2015. "New results on precautionary saving under two risks," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 17-20.
    2. Marzia Donno & Marco Magnani & Mario Menegatti, 2020. "Changes in multiplicative risks and optimal portfolio choice: new interpretations and results," Decisions in Economics and Finance, Springer;Associazione per la Matematica, vol. 43(1), pages 251-267, June.
    3. Christophe Courbage & Henri Loubergé & Béatrice Rey, 2018. "On the properties of high-order non-monetary measures for risks," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory, Springer;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 43(1), pages 77-94, May.
    4. Paan Jindapon & Liqun Liu & William S. Neilson, 2021. "Comparative risk apportionment," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 9(1), pages 91-112, April.
    5. Brianti, Marco & Magnani, Marco & Menegatti, Mario, 2018. "Optimal choice of prevention and cure under uncertainty on disease effect and cure effectiveness," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 327-342.
    6. Li, Jingyuan & Liu, Liqun, 2014. "The monetary utility premium and interpersonal comparisons," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 125(2), pages 257-260.

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