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A Dual Approach to Ambiguity Aversion

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Abstract

In this paper, the assumption of monotonicity of Anscombe and Aumann (1963) is replaced by a weaker assumption of monotonicity with respect to first order stochastic dominance. I derive a representation result where ambiguous distributions of objective beliefs are first aggregated into “equivalent unambiguous beliefs” and then risk preferences are used to compute the utility of these equivalent unambiguous beliefs. Such an approach makes it possible to disentangle ambiguity aversion, related to the treatment of information, and risk aversion, related to the evaluation of the equivalent unambiguous beliefs. An application shows the tractability of the framework and its intuitive appeal.

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  • Antoine Bommier, 2014. "A Dual Approach to Ambiguity Aversion," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 14/207, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    • Handle: RePEc:eth:wpswif:14-207
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    Cited by:

    1. Christoph Kuzmics & Brian W. Rogers & Xiannong Zhang, 2023. "Randomization advice and ambiguity aversion," Graz Economics Papers 2023-01, University of Graz, Department of Economics.
    2. Michel Grabisch & Benjamin Monet & Vassili Vergopoulos, 2023. "Subjective expected utility through stochastic independence," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 76(3), pages 723-757, October.
    3. Mohammed Abdellaoui & Horst Zank, 2022. "Source and Rank-dependent Utility," Post-Print hal-03924295, HAL.
    4. Florian H. Schneider & Martin Schonger, 2019. "An Experimental Test of the Anscombe–Aumann Monotonicity Axiom," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(4), pages 1667-1677, April.
    5. Stefan Trautmann & Peter P. Wakker, 2018. "Making the Anscombe-Aumann approach to ambiguity suitable for descriptive applications," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 56(1), pages 83-116, February.
    6. Ghirardato, Paolo & Pennesi, Daniele, 2020. "A general theory of subjective mixtures," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    7. Mohammed Abdellaoui & Horst Zank, 2023. "Source and rank-dependent utility," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 75(4), pages 949-981, May.
    8. Li, Chen & Turmunkh, Uyanga & Wakker, Peter P., 2020. "Social and strategic ambiguity versus betrayal aversion," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 272-287.
    9. Izhakian, Yehuda, 2017. "Expected utility with uncertain probabilities theory," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 91-103.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ambiguity aversion; first-order stochastic dominance; separability; comonotonic sure-thing principle; rank-dependent utility; saving behavior.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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