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  4. January 2015
  5. Revealed (P)Reference Theory

Revealed (P)Reference Theory

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Abstract

This paper develops axiomatically a revealed preference theory of reference-dependent choice behavior. Instead of taking the reference for an agent as exogenously given in the description of a choice problem, we suitably relax the Weak Axiom of Revealed Preference to obtain, endogenously, the existence of reference alternatives as well as the structure of choice behavior conditional on those alternatives. We show how this model captures some well-known choice patterns such as the attraction effect. (JEL D11, D81)

Citation

Ok, Efe A., Pietro Ortoleva, and Gil Riella. 2015. "Revealed (P)Reference Theory." American Economic Review, 105 (1): 299-321. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20111046

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D11 Consumer Economics: Theory
  • D81 Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty