A new test of convexity–concavity of discount function

Discounted utility theory and its generalizations (e.g., quasihyperbolic discounting, generalized hyperbolic discounting) use discount functions for weighting utilities of outcomes received in different time periods. We propose a new simple test of convexity–concavity of discount function. This test...

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Veröffentlicht in:Theory and decision 2020-09, Vol.89 (2), p.121-136
Hauptverfasser: Blavatskyy, Pavlo R., Maafi, Hela
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Discounted utility theory and its generalizations (e.g., quasihyperbolic discounting, generalized hyperbolic discounting) use discount functions for weighting utilities of outcomes received in different time periods. We propose a new simple test of convexity–concavity of discount function. This test can be used with any utility function (which can be linear or not) and any preferences over risky lotteries (expected utility theory or not). The data from a controlled laboratory experiment show that about one third of experimental subjects reveal a concave discount function and another one third of subjects reveal a convex discount function (for delays up to two month).
ISSN:0040-5833
1573-7187
DOI:10.1007/s11238-020-09747-3