Daniel Bernoulli put his
expected utility hypothesis to the task of explaining the St.
Likewise, should the preferences be consistent with the
expected utility hypothesis? Numerous arguments have been made for moving away from the von Neumann-Morgenstern framework - for example, Epstein and Zin [1991], Farmer [1990] and Weil [1990], to cite but a few.
If the decision maker's uncertainty cannot be completely characterized by probability measures, then the behavioral models based on the subjective
expected utility hypothesis (SEU) are not appropriate.
Individual preferences over random lifetime consumption are supposed to satisfy the
expected utility hypothesis. Thus there is a function U: [IR.sub.++] [right arrow] IR evaluating sure consumption bundles such that the utility derived from deterministic current consumption, c, and stochastic future consumption, [Mathematical Expression Omitted], can be represented as [Mathematical Expression Omitted].
The
expected utility hypothesis is somewhat controversial.(1) Not only has it met difficulty in experimental studies,(2) but its theoretical status and traditional defense have been questioned [6; 3].