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On the precautionary motive for savings and prudence in the rank-dependent utility framework

Author

Listed:
  • Alain Chateauneuf

    (IPAG Business School, CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Ghizlane Lakhnati

    (National School of Applied Sciences - Université Ibn Zohr [Agadir])

  • Eric Langlais

    (EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

In this paper, we deal with the basic two-period consumption–saving problem where the first- and second-period consumption utilities, v and u, are assumed to be concave, respectively, as usually. We prove that for the rank-dependent utility model, prudence is fully characterized by the convexity of u′ and strong pessimism. The paper ends by showing that for a strong risk-averse RDU decision-maker, strict pessimism allows local weak prudence, whatever the sign of u′′′, whereas for a strong risk-averse EU decision-maker local weak prudence cannot be disentangled from prudence.

Suggested Citation

  • Alain Chateauneuf & Ghizlane Lakhnati & Eric Langlais, 2016. "On the precautionary motive for savings and prudence in the rank-dependent utility framework," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) hal-01302563, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:pseptp:hal-01302563
    DOI: 10.1007/s00199-015-0883-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Prudence; Local weak prudence; RDU model; Strong risk aversion; Pessimism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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