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It is Time to Kill the Economic Theory of Suicide

Author

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  • Smith, Gary

    (Pomona College)

Abstract

A seminal paper by Hamermesh and Soss modeled suicide as a rational economic decision based on a comparison of the financial costs and benefits of staying alive. Their model is fundamentally flawed and their prediction that suicide rates increase with age is wrong.

Suggested Citation

  • Smith, Gary, 2019. "It is Time to Kill the Economic Theory of Suicide," Economics Department, Working Paper Series 1006, Economics Department, Pomona College, revised 04 Jun 2019.
    • Handle: RePEc:clm:pomwps:1006
    as

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    File URL: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=pomona_fac_econ
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Rothschild & Joseph Stiglitz, 1976. "Equilibrium in Competitive Insurance Markets: An Essay on the Economics of Imperfect Information," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 90(4), pages 629-649.
    2. Dave E. Marcotte, 2003. "The Economics of Suicide, Revisited," Southern Economic Journal, Southern Economic Association, vol. 69(3), pages 628-643, January.
    3. Hamermesh, Daniel S & Soss, Neal M, 1974. "An Economic Theory of Suicide," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(1), pages 83-98, Jan.-Feb..
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