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Saving future lives. A comparison of three discounting models

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  • John A. Cairns
  • Marjon M. Van Der Pol

Abstract

This paper compares three models of intertemporal choice concerning saving future lives: the constant discounting model, the proportional discounting model and the hyperbolic discounting model. The three models were investigated using data collected from the general public. Since these data have a multilevel structure, ordinary least‐squares (OLS) estimates were supplemented by multilevel analysis. There is evidence in favour of the proportional (and to a lesser extent) the hyperbolic model over the constant discounting model. There is clear evidence for this data set that multilevel analysis is more appropriate than OLS. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • John A. Cairns & Marjon M. Van Der Pol, 1997. "Saving future lives. A comparison of three discounting models," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 6(4), pages 341-350, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:6:y:1997:i:4:p:341-350
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1050(199707)6:4<341::AID-HEC277>3.0.CO;2-Y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Anne Spencer, 2001. "The Time Trade-Off Method: An Exploratory Study," Working Papers 437, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    5. Andrew Meyer, 2013. "Estimating discount factors for public and private goods and testing competing discounting hypotheses," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 133-173, April.
    6. Nigel Rice & Andrew Jones, 1997. "Multilevel models and health economics," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 6(6), pages 561-575, November.
    7. Han Bleichrodt & Jose Luis Pinto, 2012. "Conceptual Foundations for Health Utility Measurement," Chapters, in: Andrew M. Jones (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Health Economics, Second Edition, chapter 35, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Bleichrodt, Han & Quiggin, John, 1999. "Life-cycle preferences over consumption and health: when is cost-effectiveness analysis equivalent to cost-benefit analysis?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 681-708, December.
    9. Chen Wang & Ricardo Daziano, 2015. "On the problem of measuring discount rates in intertemporal transportation choices," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(6), pages 1019-1038, November.
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    13. Irvine, Alastair & van der Pol, Marjon & Phimister, Euan, 2019. "A comparison of professional and private time preferences of General Practitioners," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 256-264.
    14. Arthur E. Attema & Matthijs M. Versteegh, 2013. "Would You Rather Be Ill Now, Or Later?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(12), pages 1496-1506, December.
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    17. Bjarne Robberstad & John Cairns, 2007. "Time Preferences for Health in Northern Tanzania," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 73-88, January.
    18. Anne Spencer, 2001. "The Time Trade-Off Method: An Exploratory Study," Working Papers 437, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    19. Settle, Chad & Shogren, Jason F., 2004. "Hyperbolic discounting and time inconsistency in a native-exotic species conflict," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 255-274, June.
    20. Boyle, Patricia A & Yu, Lei & Segawa, Eisuke & Wilson, Robert S & Buchman, Aron S & Laibson, David I. & Bennett, David A, 2012. "Association of cognition with temporal discounting in community based older persons," Scholarly Articles 11726269, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    21. McDonald, R.L. & Chilton, S.M. & Jones-Lee, M.W. & Metcalf, H.R.T., 2017. "Evidence of variable discount rates and non-standard discounting in mortality risk valuation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 152-167.
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    23. Kristian Schultz Hansen & Lars Peter Østerdal, 2006. "Models of Quality‐Adjusted Life Years when Health Varies Over Time: Survey and Analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 229-255, April.

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