IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jeczfn/v134y2021i2d10.1007_s00712-021-00744-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Subsidizing risk prevention

Author

Listed:
  • Mario Menegatti

    (Università di Parma)

Abstract

This work examines the effects of different kinds of subsidies on risk prevention from a theoretical standpoint. We show that both a subsidy on the cost of prevention activities and a subsidy on wealth have ambiguous effects on the level of present contemporaneous prevention. Similar kinds of subsidies have however increasing effects on the level of advance prevention and, under plausible assumptions, on future levels of contemporaneous prevention. We also show that social security subsidies may have decreasing effects on prevention activities while a kind of reverse social security has an increasing effects on them. This indicates that there is a trade-off between the social security aim of mitigating the negative consequences of bad events and the prevention aim of incentivizing choices which reduce the probability that these bad events occur.

Suggested Citation

  • Mario Menegatti, 2021. "Subsidizing risk prevention," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 134(2), pages 175-193, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jeczfn:v:134:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s00712-021-00744-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s00712-021-00744-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00712-021-00744-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00712-021-00744-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Crainich, David & Eeckhoudt, Louis & Menegatti, Mario, 2016. "Changing risks and optimal effort," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 97-106.
    2. Courbage, Christophe & Rey, Béatrice, 2012. "Optimal prevention and other risks in a two-period model," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 213-217.
    3. Christophe Courbage & Henri Loubergé & Richard Peter, 2017. "Optimal Prevention for Multiple Risks," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 84(3), pages 899-922, September.
    4. Georges Dionne (ed.), 2013. "Handbook of Insurance," Springer Books, Springer, edition 2, number 978-1-4614-0155-1, December.
    5. Menegatti, Mario, 2009. "Optimal prevention and prudence in a two-period model," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 58(3), pages 393-397, November.
    6. Fleurbaey, Marc & Ponthiere, Gregory, 2013. "Prevention against equality?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 68-84.
    7. Jianli Wang & Jingyuan Li, 2015. "Precautionary Effort: Another Trait for Prudence," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 82(4), pages 977-983, December.
    8. Xue, Minggao & Cheng, Wen, 2013. "Background risk, bivariate risk attitudes, and optimal prevention," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 390-395.
    9. Kangoh Lee, 2019. "Prudence and Precautionary Effort," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 86(1), pages 151-163, March.
    10. Mario Menegatti, 2018. "Prudence and Different Kinds of Prevention," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 44(2), pages 273-285, April.
    11. repec:hal:pseose:halshs-00847260 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Lee, Kangoh, 1998. "Risk Aversion and Self-Insurance-cum-Protection," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 139-150, November.
    13. Louis Eeckhoudt & Christian Gollier, 2005. "The impact of prudence on optimal prevention," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 26(4), pages 989-994, November.
    14. Louis Eeckhoudt & Béatrice Rey & Harris Schlesinger, 2007. "A Good Sign for Multivariate Risk Taking," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(1), pages 117-124, January.
    15. A. Mitchell Polinsky & Steven Shavell (ed.), 2007. "Handbook of Law and Economics," Handbook of Law and Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 2, number 2.
    16. Hofmann, Annette & Peter, Richard, 2015. "Multivariate prevention decisions: Safe today or sorry tomorrow?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 51-53.
    17. Louis Eeckhoudt & Rachel J. Huang & Larry Y. Tzeng, 2012. "Precautionary Effort: A New Look," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 79(2), pages 585-590, June.
    18. Dionne, Georges & Eeckhoudt, Louis, 1985. "Self-insurance, self-protection and increased risk aversion," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 17(1-2), pages 39-42.
    19. Huang, Rachel J., 2012. "Ambiguity aversion, higher-order risk attitude and optimal effort," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 338-345.
    20. Menegatti, Mario & Rebessi, Filippo, 2011. "On the substitution between saving and prevention," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 176-182.
    21. Jaspersen, Johannes G. & Richter, Andreas, 2015. "The wealth effects of premium subsidies on moral hazard in insurance markets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 139-153.
    22. Beatrice Rey & Jean-Charles Rochet, 2004. "Health and Wealth: How do They Affect Individual Preferences?," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory, Springer;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 29(1), pages 43-54, June.
    23. Ehrlich, Isaac & Becker, Gary S, 1972. "Market Insurance, Self-Insurance, and Self-Protection," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(4), pages 623-648, July-Aug..
    24. Jindapon, Paan & Neilson, William S., 2007. "Higher-order generalizations of Arrow-Pratt and Ross risk aversion: A comparative statics approach," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 719-728, September.
    25. A. Mitchell Polinsky & Steven Shavell (ed.), 2007. "Handbook of Law and Economics," Handbook of Law and Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 1, number 1.
    26. Mario Menegatti, 2014. "Optimal choice on prevention and cure: a new economic analysis," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 15(4), pages 363-372, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hong, Jimin & Kim, Kyungsun & Seog, S. Hun, 2024. "Private efforts, public test policy and insurance against pandemic health risks," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    2. Emmanuelle Augeraud-Véron & Marc Leandri, 2023. "Optimal self-protection and health risk perception: bridging the gap between risk theory and the Health Belief Model," EconomiX Working Papers 2023-12, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    3. Peter, Richard, 2021. "Prevention as a Giffen good," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    4. P. Battiston & M. Menegatti, 2022. "Interaction in Prevention: A General Theory and an Application to COVID-19 Pandemic," Economics Department Working Papers 2022-EP02, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mario Menegatti, 2018. "Prudence and Different Kinds of Prevention," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 44(2), pages 273-285, April.
    2. Richard Peter, 2024. "The economics of self-protection," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 49(1), pages 6-35, March.
    3. Peter, Richard, 2017. "Optimal self-protection in two periods: On the role of endogenous saving," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 19-36.
    4. Richard Peter, 2021. "Who should exert more effort? Risk aversion, downside risk aversion and optimal prevention," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 71(4), pages 1259-1281, June.
    5. Crainich, David & Menegatti, Mario, 2021. "Self-protection with random costs," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 63-67.
    6. Jimin Hong & Kyungsun Kim, 2021. "Self-insurance and saving under a two-argument utility framework," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 73-94, September.
    7. Christophe Courbage & Henri Loubergé & Richard Peter, 2017. "Optimal Prevention for Multiple Risks," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 84(3), pages 899-922, September.
    8. Heinzel Christoph & Richard Peter, 2021. "Precautionary motives with multiple instruments," Working Papers SMART 21-09, INRAE UMR SMART.
    9. P. Battiston & M. Menegatti, 2022. "Interaction in Prevention: A General Theory and an Application to COVID-19 Pandemic," Economics Department Working Papers 2022-EP02, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).
    10. Chuang, O-Chia & Eeckhoudt, Louis & Huang, Rachel J. & Tzeng, Larry Y., 2013. "Risky targets and effort," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 465-468.
    11. Annette Hofmann & Richard Peter, 2016. "Self-Insurance, Self-Protection, and Saving: On Consumption Smoothing and Risk Management," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 83(3), pages 719-734, September.
    12. Xue, Minggao & Cheng, Wen, 2013. "Background risk, bivariate risk attitudes, and optimal prevention," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 390-395.
    13. Wang, Jianli & Wang, Hongxia & Yick, Ho Yin, 2019. "How do changes in risk and risk aversion affect self-protection with Selden/Kreps–Porteus preferences?," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1-6.
    14. Christoph Heinzel & Richard Peter, 2021. "Precautionary motives with multiple instruments [Motifs de précaution en cas de multiples instruments]," Working Papers hal-03484875, HAL.
    15. Heinzel, Christoph & Peter, Richard, 2021. "Precautionary motives with multiple instruments," Working Papers 316521, Institut National de la recherche Agronomique (INRA), Departement Sciences Sociales, Agriculture et Alimentation, Espace et Environnement (SAE2).
    16. Tao Yuqing & Mei Jie & Cheng Wen & Zou Sijie, 2019. "Precautionary Effort Investment under Cross Risk Aversion," Journal of Systems Science and Information, De Gruyter, vol. 7(4), pages 344-358, August.
    17. Christian Gollier & James Hammitt & Nicolas Treich, 2013. "Risk and choice: A research saga," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 129-145, October.
    18. Mario Menegatti, 2014. "Optimal choice on prevention and cure: a new economic analysis," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 15(4), pages 363-372, May.
    19. Crainich, David & Eeckhoudt, Louis & Menegatti, Mario, 2016. "Changing risks and optimal effort," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 97-106.
    20. Heinzel, Christoph & Peter, Richard, 2023. "Precaution with multiple instruments: The importance of substitution effects," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 392-412.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jeczfn:v:134:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s00712-021-00744-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.