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Preferences with grades of indecisiveness

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  • Minardi, Stefania
  • Savochkin, Andrei

Abstract

Departing from the traditional approach of modeling indecisiveness based on the weakening of the completeness axiom, we introduce the notion of graded preferences: The agent is characterized by a binary relation over (ordered) pairs of alternatives, which allows her to express her inclination to prefer one alternative over another and her confidence in the relative superiority of the indicated alternative. In the classical Anscombe–Aumann framework, we derive a representation of a graded preference by a measure of the set of beliefs that rank one option better than the other. Our model is a refinement of Bewley's [6] model of Knightian uncertainty: It is based on the same object of representation — the set of beliefs — but provides more information about how the agent compares alternatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Minardi, Stefania & Savochkin, Andrei, 2015. "Preferences with grades of indecisiveness," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 300-331.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:155:y:2015:i:c:p:300-331
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2014.11.009
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    4. Costa-Gomes, Miguel & Cueva, Carlos & Gerasimou, Georgios, 2014. "Choice, Deferral and Consistency," SIRE Discussion Papers 2015-17, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    5. Patrick Schmidt, 2019. "Eliciting ambiguity with mixing bets," Papers 1902.07447, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2024.
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    7. Hill, Brian, 2016. "Incomplete preferences and confidence," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 83-103.
    8. José Heleno Faro & Ana Santos, 2023. "Updating variational (Bewley) preferences," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 75(1), pages 207-228, January.
    9. Nobuo Koida, 2021. "Intransitive indifference with direction-dependent sensitivity," KIER Working Papers 1061, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Incomplete preferences; Knightian uncertainty; Graded preferences; Confidence; Decisiveness;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

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

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