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Inequality and risk aversion in economies open to altruistic attitudes

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  • Eleonora Perversi
  • Eugenio Regazzini

Abstract

This paper attempts to find a relationship between agents' risk aversion and inequality of incomes. Specifically, a model is proposed for the evolution in time of surplus/deficit distribution, and the long-time distributions are characterized almost completely. They turn out to be weak Pareto laws with exponent linked to the relative risk aversion index which, in turn, is supposed to be the same for every agent. On the one hand, the aforesaid link is expressed by an affine transformation. On the other hand, the level of the relative risk aversion index results from a frequency distribution of observable quantities stemming from how agents interact in an economic sense. Combination of these facts is conducive to the specification of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of actions fit for the control of income concentration.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleonora Perversi & Eugenio Regazzini, 2015. "Inequality and risk aversion in economies open to altruistic attitudes," Papers 1507.00894, arXiv.org, revised May 2016.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1507.00894
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Silver, Jonathan & Slud, Eric & Takamoto, Keiji, 2002. "Statistical Equilibrium Wealth Distributions in an Exchange Economy with Stochastic Preferences," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 106(2), pages 417-435, October.
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    7. Abhijit V. Banerjee & Andrew F. Newman, 1991. "Risk-Bearing and the Theory of Income Distribution," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 211-235.
    8. Rothschild, Michael & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1972. "Addendum to "increasing risk: I. A definition"," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 306-306, October.
    9. Kanbur, S M, 1979. "Of Risk Taking and the Personal Distribution of Income," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(4), pages 769-797, August.
    10. Kihlstrom, Richard E & Laffont, Jean-Jacques, 1979. "A General Equilibrium Entrepreneurial Theory of Firm Formation Based on Risk Aversion," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(4), pages 719-748, August.
    11. Rothschild, Michael & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1970. "Increasing risk: I. A definition," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 225-243, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bertram Düring & Lorenzo Pareschi & Giuseppe Toscani, 2018. "Kinetic models for optimal control of wealth inequalities," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 91(10), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Emanuele Dolera, 2022. "Preface to the Special Issue on “Bayesian Predictive Inference and Related Asymptotics—Festschrift for Eugenio Regazzini’s 75th Birthday”," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(15), pages 1-4, July.

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