Abstract
We present some interesting features of de Finetti's decision theory; then we extended the theory. The extended theory has a normative character and is of the expected utility kind, but it is also very adaptable. By comparing it with some leading theories, we find that our theory is compatible with consideration of the whole probability distribution — it can even accommodate Allais' paradox -, while it is not generally compatible with probability weighting. We are mainly interested in the normative point of view.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aczél, J.: 1966,Lectures on Functional Equations and Their Applications, Academic Press, New York.
Allais, M.: 1953, ‘Le comportement rationnel devant le risque: critique des postulats et axiomes de l'école américaine’,Econometrica 21, 503–546.
Allais, M.: 1979, ‘Foreword’, in Allais, M. and Hagen, O. (Eds.),Expected Utility Hypotheses and the Allais Paradox, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 3–11.
Allais, M.: 1979*, ‘The so-called Allais paradox and rational decisions under uncertainty’, in Allais, M. and Hagen, O. (Eds.),Expected Utility Hypotheses and the Allais Paradox, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 437–681.
Allais, M.: 1988, ‘The general theory of random choices in relation to the invariant cardinal utility function and the specific probability function’, in Munier, B. (Ed.),Risk, Decision and Rationality, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 231–289.
Chisini, O.: 1929, ‘Sul concetto di media’,Periodico di Matematiche IV, 9, 106–116.
Coletti, G., di Bacco, M. and Regoli, G.: 1987,Qualitative Characterizations of Means, Dipartimento di Matematica Perugia, Rapporto tecnico 1987/3, Perugia.
Daboni, L.: 1986, ‘Associative means and utility theory’, in Daboni, L., Montesano, A. and Lines, M. (Eds.),Recent Developments in the Foundations of Utility and Risk Theory, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 149–151.
De Finetti, B.: 1931, ‘Sul concetto di media’,Giornale dell'Istituto Italiano degli Attuari 2, 369–396.
De Finetti, B.: 1952, ‘Sulla preferibilità’,Giornale degli Economisti e annali di economia 11, 685–709.
De Finetti, B.: 1964, ‘Teoria delle decisioni’, inLezioni di metodologia statistica per ricercatori, Vol. 6, Facoltà di Scienze statistiche, Demografiche ed Attuariali dell'Università di Roma, Roma, 87–161.
De Finetti, B.: 1967, ‘L'incertezza nella economia’, in de Finetti, B. and Emanuelli, F. (Eds.),Economia delle assicurazioni, UTET, Torino, 3–365.
De Finetti, B.: 1970,Teoria delle Probabilità, Sintesi Introducttiva con Appendice Critica, G. Einaudi, Torino (translated into English as:Theory of Probability: A Critical Introductory Treatment, J. Wiley & Sons, New York, 1974).
De Finetti, B.: 1979, ‘A short confirmation of my standpoint’, in Allais, M. and Hagen, O. (Eds.),Expected Utility Hypotheses and the Allais Paradox, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 161.
Fishburn, P.C.: 1976, ‘Cardinal utility: an interpretive essay’,Rivista internazionale di scienze economiche e commerciali 23, 1102–1114.
Hagen, O.: 1979. ‘Towards a positive theory of preferences under risk’, in Allais, M. and Hagen, O. (Eds.),Expected Utility Hypotheses and the Allais Paradox, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 271–302.
Hardy, G.H., Littlewood, J.E. and Pólya, G.: 1952,Inequalities, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Kadane, J.B. and Winkler, R.L.: 1987, ‘De Finetti's methods of elicitation’, in Viertl, R. (Ed.),Probability and Bayesian Statistics, Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York, 279–284.
Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A.: 1979, ‘Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk’,Econometrica 47, 263–991.
Machina, M.J.: 1981, ‘“Rational” Decision Making versus “Rational” Decision Modeling?: a review ofExpected Utility Hypotheses and the Allais Paradox, edited by Maurice Allais and Ole Hagen’,Journal of Mathematical Psychology 24, 163–175.
Machina, M.J.: 1983, ‘The economic theory of individual behaviour toward risk: theory, evidence and new directions’, IMSSS, Stanford University, Report 433, Stanford.
Montesano, A.: 1982, ‘The ordinal utility under uncertainty’,Rivista internazionale di scienze economiche e commerciali 29, 442–446.
Munera, H.A.: 1986, ‘The generalized means model (GMM) for non-deterministic decision making: a unified treatment for the two contending theories’, in Daboni, L., Montesano, A. and Lines, M. (Eds.),Recent Developments in the Foundations of Utility and Risk Theory, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 161–184.
Quiggin, J.: 1982, ‘A theory of anticipated utility’,Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization 3, 323–343.
Rossi, G.A.: 1989,Comportamento razionale senza previsione, Istituto di Matematica Finanziaria dell'Università di Torino, III, 52, Torino.
Rossi, G.A.: 1990, ‘Rational behaviour’,Rivista internazionale di scienze economiche e commerciali 37, 501–509.
Savage, L.J.: 1954,The Foundations of Statistics, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Von Neumann, J. and Morgenstern, O.: 1947,Theory of Games and Economic Behaviour, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Yaari, M.E.: 1987, ‘The dual theory of choice under risk’,Econometrica 55, 95–115.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rossi, G.A. Rational behaviour: A comparison between the theory stemming from de Finetti's work and some other leading theories. Theor Decis 36, 257–275 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079931
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01079931