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Saving future lives. A comparison of three discounting models

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  • John A. Cairns
  • Marjon M. Van Der Pol

Abstract

This paper compares three models of intertemporal choice concerning saving future lives: the constant discounting model, the proportional discounting model and the hyperbolic discounting model. The three models were investigated using data collected from the general public. Since these data have a multilevel structure, ordinary least‐squares (OLS) estimates were supplemented by multilevel analysis. There is evidence in favour of the proportional (and to a lesser extent) the hyperbolic model over the constant discounting model. There is clear evidence for this data set that multilevel analysis is more appropriate than OLS. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • John A. Cairns & Marjon M. Van Der Pol, 1997. "Saving future lives. A comparison of three discounting models," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 6(4), pages 341-350, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:6:y:1997:i:4:p:341-350
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1050(199707)6:4<341::AID-HEC277>3.0.CO;2-Y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    11. Jamison Dean T. & Jamison Julian, 2011. "Characterizing the Amount and Speed of Discounting Procedures," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, De Gruyter, vol. 2(2), pages 1-56, April.
    12. Bjarne Robberstad & John Cairns, 2007. "Time Preferences for Health in Northern Tanzania," PharmacoEconomics, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 73-88, January.
    13. Anne Spencer, 2001. "The Time Trade-Off Method: An Exploratory Study," Working Papers 437, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
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    16. Boyle, Patricia A & Yu, Lei & Segawa, Eisuke & Wilson, Robert S & Buchman, Aron S & Laibson, David I. & Bennett, David A, 2012. "Association of cognition with temporal discounting in community based older persons," Scholarly Articles 11726269, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    17. McDonald, R.L. & Chilton, S.M. & Jones-Lee, M.W. & Metcalf, H.R.T., 2017. "Evidence of variable discount rates and non-standard discounting in mortality risk valuation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 152-167.
    18. Nigel Rice & Andrew Jones, 1997. "Multilevel models and health economics," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 6(6), pages 561-575, November.
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