IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/finsto/v25y2021i2d10.1007_s00780-021-00448-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Concavity, stochastic utility, and risk aversion

Author

Listed:
  • Robert Jarrow

    (Cornell University
    Kamakura Corporation)

  • Siguang Li

    (Cornell University)

Abstract

This paper studies the relation between concavity, stochastic or state-dependent utility functions, and risk aversion. Using the common definition of risk aversion, but modified for state-dependent preferences, we show that concavity does not imply risk aversion. Instead, it implies a weaker version of risk aversion, defined herein, and called risk aversion for independent gambles. Furthermore, to characterise the economic meaning of concavity, we define two new risk aversion notions, called uniform risk aversion and uniform risk aversion for independent gambles, respectively. We show that concavity is equivalent to uniform risk aversion for independent gambles, and that concavity plus some additional conditions are equivalent to uniform risk aversion.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Jarrow & Siguang Li, 2021. "Concavity, stochastic utility, and risk aversion," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 311-330, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:finsto:v:25:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s00780-021-00448-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00780-021-00448-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00780-021-00448-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00780-021-00448-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Basak, Suleyman & Cuoco, Domenico, 1998. "An Equilibrium Model with Restricted Stock Market Participation," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 11(2), pages 309-341.
    2. Kelsey, David & Nordquist, Gerald L, 1991. "A More General Measure of Risk Aversion When Utility Is State-Dependent," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 43(1), pages 59-74, January.
    3. Oleksii Mostovyi, 2017. "Optimal Investment With Intermediate Consumption And Random Endowment," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 96-114, January.
    4. Chateauneuf, Alain & Cohen, Michele, 1994. "Risk Seeking with Diminishing Marginal Utility in a Non-expected Utility Model," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 77-91, July.
    5. Kihlstrom, Richard E. & Mirman, Leonard J., 1974. "Risk aversion with many commodities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 361-388, July.
    6. Huy N. Chau & Andrea Cosso & Claudio Fontana & Oleksii Mostovyi, 2015. "Optimal investment with intermediate consumption under no unbounded profit with bounded risk," Papers 1509.01672, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2017.
    7. Hong, Chew Soo & Karni, Edi & Safra, Zvi, 1987. "Risk aversion in the theory of expected utility with rank dependent probabilities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 370-381, August.
    8. Robert F. Nau, 2003. "A Generalization of Pratt-Arrow Measure to Nonexpected-Utility Preferences and Inseparable Probability and Utility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(8), pages 1089-1104, August.
    9. Mas-Colell, Andreu & Whinston, Michael D. & Green, Jerry R., 1995. "Microeconomic Theory," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195102680.
    10. Philip J. Cook & Daniel A. Graham, 1977. "The Demand for Insurance and Protection: The Case of Irreplaceable Commodities," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 91(1), pages 143-156.
    11. Hugonnier, Julien, 2012. "Rational asset pricing bubbles and portfolio constraints," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 147(6), pages 2260-2302.
    12. Basak, Suleyman, 2000. "A model of dynamic equilibrium asset pricing with heterogeneous beliefs and extraneous risk," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 63-95, January.
    13. Karni, Edi, 1983. "Risk Aversion for State-Dependent Utility Functions: Measurement and Applications," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 24(3), pages 637-647, October.
    14. Yaari, Menahem E., 1969. "Some remarks on measures of risk aversion and on their uses," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 1(3), pages 315-329, October.
    15. Hugonnier, Julien & Prieto, Rodolfo, 2015. "Asset pricing with arbitrage activity," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 411-428.
    16. Jarrow, Robert & Larsson, Martin, 2018. "On aggregation and representative agent equilibria," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 119-127.
    17. Elliot, Catherine S., 1987. "A note on risk aversion and multivariate, state-dependent preferences," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 113-116.
    18. Levon Barseghyan & Jeffrey Prince & Joshua C. Teitelbaum, 2011. "Are Risk Preferences Stable across Contexts? Evidence from Insurance Data," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(2), pages 591-631, April.
    19. Ross, Stephen A, 1981. "Some Stronger Measures of Risk Aversion in the Small and the Large with Applications," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(3), pages 621-638, May.
    20. Ted O'Donoghue & Jason Somerville, 2018. "Modeling Risk Aversion in Economics," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 91-114, Spring.
    21. Domenico Cuoco & Hua He, 2001. "Dynamic Aggregation and Computation of Equilibria in Finite-Dimensional Economies with Incomplete Financial Markets," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 2(2), pages 265-296, November.
    22. Duncan, George T, 1977. "A Matrix Measure of Multivariate Local Risk Aversion," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 45(4), pages 895-903, May.
    23. W. Henry Chiu, 1996. "Risk Aversion with State-Dependent Preferences in the Rank-Dependent Expected Utility Theory," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 21(2), pages 159-177, December.
    24. Karni, Edi, 1979. "On Multivariate Risk Aversion," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(6), pages 1391-1401, November.
    25. Fama, Eugene F, 1970. "Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 25(2), pages 383-417, May.
    26. Kihlstrom, Richard E & Romer, David & Williams, Steve, 1981. "Risk Aversion with Random Initial Wealth," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(4), pages 911-920, June.
    27. Karni, Edi, 1989. "Generalized Expected Utility Analysis of Multivariate Risk Aversion," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 30(2), pages 297-305, May.
    28. Karni, Edi & Schmeidler, David & Vind, Karl, 1983. "On State Dependent Preferences and Subjective Probabilities," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 51(4), pages 1021-1031, July.
    29. Oleksii Mostovyi, 2015. "Necessary and sufficient conditions in the problem of optimal investment with intermediate consumption," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 135-159, January.
    30. Peter P. Wakker & Horst Zank, 1999. "State Dependent Expected Utility for Savage's State Space," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 8-34, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sommerfeldt, Nelson & Pearce, Joshua M., 2023. "Can grid-tied solar photovoltaics lead to residential heating electrification? A techno-economic case study in the midwestern U.S," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    2. Wei Wang & Huifu Xu, 2023. "Preference robust state-dependent distortion risk measure on act space and its application in optimal decision making," Computational Management Science, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-51, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Robert F. Nau, 2003. "A Generalization of Pratt-Arrow Measure to Nonexpected-Utility Preferences and Inseparable Probability and Utility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(8), pages 1089-1104, August.
    2. Karni, Edi & Schmeidler, David, 1990. "Utility Theory and Uncertainty," Foerder Institute for Economic Research Working Papers 275480, Tel-Aviv University > Foerder Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Sudhir A. Shah, 2016. "The Generalized Arrow-Pratt Coefficient," Working papers 254, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    4. Elisa Pagani, 2015. "Certainty Equivalent: Many Meanings of a Mean," Working Papers 24/2015, University of Verona, Department of Economics.
    5. Sudhir A. Shah, 2010. "Comparative Risk Aversion When the Outcomes are Vectors," Working Papers id:2907, eSocialSciences.
    6. Jarrow, Robert & Larsson, Martin, 2018. "On aggregation and representative agent equilibria," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 119-127.
    7. Sudhir A. Shah, 2006. "Comparative risk aversion when the outcomes are vectors," Working papers 149, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    8. ALLARD, Marie & BRONSARD, Camille & GOURIÉROUX Christian, 2003. "Aversion Analysis," Cahiers de recherche 2003-06, Universite de Montreal, Departement de sciences economiques.
      • ALLARD, Marie & BRONSARD, Camille & GOURIÉROUX, Christian, 2003. "Aversion Analysis," Cahiers de recherche 04-2003, Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en économie quantitative, CIREQ.
    9. Christophe Courbage, 2001. "On Bivariate Risk Premia," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 29-34, February.
    10. Louis Eeckhoudt & Elisa Pagani & Eugenio Peluso, 2023. "Multidimensional risk aversion: the cardinal sin," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 320(1), pages 15-31, January.
    11. Louis R. Eeckhoudt & Roger J. A. Laeven, 2021. "Probability Premium and Attitude Towards Probability," Papers 2105.00054, arXiv.org.
    12. Robert Jarrow, 2018. "An Equilibrium Capital Asset Pricing Model in Markets with Price Jumps and Price Bubbles," Quarterly Journal of Finance (QJF), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 8(02), pages 1-33, June.
    13. Crainich, David & Eeckhoudt, Louis & Le Courtois, Olivier, 2017. "Health and portfolio choices: A diffidence approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 259(1), pages 273-279.
    14. Markus Rieger‐Fels, 2024. "Why do people buy insurance? A modern answer to an old question," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 27(1), pages 89-114, April.
    15. Antoine Bommier & François Le Grand, 2019. "Risk Aversion and Precautionary Savings in Dynamic Settings," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(3), pages 1386-1397, March.
    16. Robert Nau, 2011. "Risk, ambiguity, and state-preference theory," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 48(2), pages 437-467, October.
    17. Jean Baccelli & Georg Schollmeyer & Christoph Jansen, 2022. "Risk aversion over finite domains," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 93(2), pages 371-397, September.
    18. Courbage, Christophe, 1999. "Primes de risque et soins de santé," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 75(4), pages 665-672, décembre.
    19. Christoph Heinzel, 2014. "Term structure of discount rates under multivariate s-ordered consumption growth," Working Papers SMART 14-01, INRAE UMR SMART.
    20. Éric Langlais, 2010. "Les criminels aiment-ils le risque ?," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 61(2), pages 263-280.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    State-dependent utility; Stochastic utility; Risk aversion; Uniform risk aversion; Pointwise concavity; Uniform risk aversion for independent gambles;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • G40 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - General
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:finsto:v:25:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s00780-021-00448-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.