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How to aggregate experts' discount rates: An equilibrium approach

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  • Jouini, Elyès
  • Napp, Clotilde

Abstract

We address the problem of a social planner who, as in Weitzman, (2001), gathers data on experts' discount rates and wants to infer the social consumption discount rate. We propose an equilibrium approach and we analyze the expression and the properties of the resulting equilibrium discount rate. We analyze the impact of shifts in the distribution of experts' discount rates on the shape of the yield curve. Finally, we apply our approach to Weitzman's (2001) data to propose discount rates for public sector cost–benefit analysis, in particular for the long term.

Suggested Citation

  • Jouini, Elyès & Napp, Clotilde, 2014. "How to aggregate experts' discount rates: An equilibrium approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 235-243.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:36:y:2014:i:c:p:235-243
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2013.09.052
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Diego Nocetti & Elyès Jouini & Clotilde Napp, 2008. "Properties of the Social Discount Rate in a Benthamite Framework with Heterogeneous Degrees of Impatience," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(10), pages 1822-1826, October.
    2. Stern,Nicholas, 2007. "The Economics of Climate Change," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521700801, October.
    3. Martin L. Weitzman, 2001. "Gamma Discounting," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(1), pages 260-271, March.
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    5. Mark Rubinstein., 1975. "The Strong Case for the Generalized Logarithmic Utility Model as the Premier Model of Financial Markets," Research Program in Finance Working Papers 34, University of California at Berkeley.
    6. Gollier, Christian, 2004. "Maximizing the expected net future value as an alternative strategy to gamma discounting," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 85-89, June.
    7. Yvan Lengwiler, 2005. "Heterogeneous Patience and the Term Structure of Real Interest Rates," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 890-896, June.
    8. Jaksa Cvitanic & Elyès Jouini & Semyon Malamud & Clotilde Napp, 2011. "Financial Markets Equilibrium with Heterogeneous Agents," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 16(1), pages 285-321.
    9. Ben Groom & Cameron Hepburn & Phoebe Koundouri & David Pearce, 2005. "Declining Discount Rates: The Long and the Short of it," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 32(4), pages 445-493, December.
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    14. Weitzman, Martin L., 1998. "Why the Far-Distant Future Should Be Discounted at Its Lowest Possible Rate," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 201-208, November.
    15. Rothschild, Michael & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1970. "Increasing risk: I. A definition," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 225-243, September.
    16. Jouini, Elyès & Marin, Jean-Michel & Napp, Clotilde, 2010. "Discounting and divergence of opinion," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 830-859, March.
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    18. Kenneth F. Reinschmidt, 2002. "Aggregate Social Discount Rate Derived from Individual Discount Rates," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(2), pages 307-312, February.
    19. Martin L. Weitzman, 2007. "A Review of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 45(3), pages 703-724, September.
    20. Christian Gollier & Richard Zeckhauser, 2005. "Aggregation of Heterogeneous Time Preferences," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(4), pages 878-896, August.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Consumption discount rate; Equilibrium discount rate; Experts discount rate; Hyperbolic discounting; Cost–benefit analysis; Gamma discounting; Divergence of opinion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • E43 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects

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