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The Value of Risk Reduction: New Tools for an Old Problem

Author

Listed:
  • David Crainich

    (CNRS-LEM and IESEG School of Management)

  • Louis Eeckhoudt

    (IESEG School of Management (LEM-CNRS) and and CORE (Université Catholique de Louvain))

  • James K. Hammitt

    (Harvard University (Center for Risk Analysis), Cambridge - Toulouse School of Economics (LERNA-INRA))

Abstract

The relationship between willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce the probability of an adverse event and the degree of risk aversion is ambiguous. The ambiguity arises because paying for protection worsens the outcome in the event the adverse event occurs, which influences the expected marginal utility of wealth. Using concepts of prudence (equivalently, downside risk aversion), we characterize the marginal WTP to reduce the probability of the adverse event as the product of WTP in the case of risk neutrality and an adjustment factor. For the univariate case (e.g., risk of financial loss), the adjustment factor depends on risk aversion and prudence with respect to wealth. For the bivariate case (e.g., risk of death or illness), the adjustment factor depends on risk aversion and cross-prudence in wealth.

Suggested Citation

  • David Crainich & Louis Eeckhoudt & James K. Hammitt, 2013. "The Value of Risk Reduction: New Tools for an Old Problem," Working Papers 2013-ECO-13, IESEG School of Management.
  • Handle: RePEc:ies:wpaper:e201313
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. David Crainich & Louis Eeckhoudt, 2017. "Average willingness to pay for disease prevention with personalized health information," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 29-39, August.
    2. Marzia De Donno & Mario Menegatti, 2020. "Some conditions for the equivalence between risk aversion, prudence and temperance," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 89(1), pages 39-60, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    value per statistical life; mortality risk; risk aversion; prudence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D8 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health

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