Search results for " utility"
showing 10 items of 74 documents
Obtaining the best value for money in adaptive sequential estimation
2010
Abstract In [Kujala, J. V., Richardson, U., & Lyytinen, H. (2010). A Bayesian-optimal principle for learner-friendly adaptation in learning games. Journal of Mathematical Psychology , 54(2), 247–255], we considered an extension of the conventional Bayesian adaptive estimation framework to situations where each observable variable is associated with a certain random cost of observation. We proposed an algorithm that chooses each placement by maximizing the expected gain in utility divided by the expected cost. In this paper, we formally justify this placement rule as an asymptotically optimal solution to the problem of maximizing the expected utility of an experiment that terminates when the…
Neoclassical Growth, Environment and Technological Change: The Environmental Kuznets Curve
2009
The paper investigates socially optimal patterns of economic growth and environmental quality in a neoclassical growth model with endogenous technological progress. In the model, the environmental quality affects positively not only to utility but also to production. However, cleaner technologies can be used in the economy whether a part of the output is used in environmentally oriented R&D. In this framework, if the initial level of capital is low then the shadow price of a cleaner technology is low relative to the cost of developing it given by the marginal utility of consumption and it is not worth investing in R&D. Thus, there will be a first stage of growth based only on the accumulati…
Revealed preference and portfolio choice
1993
Abstract We show that the necessary and sufficient conditions for expected utility rationalizability of a single observed portfolio choice are identical to the necessary and sufficient conditions for non-expected utility rationalizability.
Investing for the Long Run
2017
This paper studies long term investing by an investor that maximizes either expected utility from terminal wealth or from consumption. We introduce the concepts of a generalized stochastic discount factor (SDF) and of the minimum price to attain target payouts. The paper finds that the dynamics of the SDF needs to be captured and not the entire market dynamics, which simplifies significantly practical implementations of optimal portfolio strategies. We pay particular attention to the case where the SDF is equal to the inverse of the growth-optimal portfolio in the given market. Then, optimal wealth evolution is closely linked to the growth optimal portfolio. In particular, our concepts allo…
A Problem of Optimization in a Case of Foreign Investment
2000
The aim of the paper is to solve an optimization problem in an economic system with a central bank and a set of private agents. Each agent aims to maximize her expected utility, with rational expectations and being risk averse. The agents follow a profitability-risk criterium to face the portfolio diversification problem between foreign or domestic investment. An explicit formula for the optimal amount of foreign investment as a function of the expected exchange rate and an explicit formula for the exchange rate are obtained. These formulas show the hard influence of the expected exchange rate, the variance and the risk aversion on the agents’ decisions.
Determining a healthy reference range and factors potentially influencing PRO-C3 – A biomarker of liver fibrosis
2021
Background & Aims Progressive fibrosis has been identified as the major predictor of mortality in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Several biomarkers are currently being evaluated for their ability to substitute the liver biopsy as the reference standard. Recent clinical studies in NAFLD/NASH patients support the utility of PRO-C3, a marker of type III collagen formation, as a marker for the degree of fibrosis, disease activity, and effect of treatment. Here we establish the healthy reference range, optimal sample handling conditions for both short- and long-term serum storage, and robustness for the PRO-C3 assay. Methods PRO-C3 was measured in 269 healthy volunteers…
An Interactive Multiple Objective Linear Programming Method for a Class of Underlying Nonlinear Utility Functions
1983
This paper develops a method for interactive multiple objective linear programming assuming an unknown pseudo concave utility function satisfying certain general properties. The method is an extension of our earlier method published in this journal (Zionts, S., Wallenius, J. 1976. An interactive programming method for solving the multiple criteria problem. Management Sci. 22 (6) 652–663.). Various technical problems present in predecessor versions have been resolved. In addition to presenting the supporting theory and algorithm, we discuss certain options in implementation and summarize our practical experience with several versions of the method.
Demand for life annuities from married couples with a bequest motive
2006
The aim of this paper is to explain the ‘annuities puzzle’ in greater depth by introducing the bequest motive. It will try to determine whether this motive really is a relevant feature influencing the demand for life annuities from married couples. With this aim in mind, we develop an optimization model of the utility provided by purchasing a life annuity with contingent survivor benefit or a joint survivor life annuity. Our model is based on that first put forward by Brown and Poterba (2000), to which we have added elements from other models, such as Friedman and Warshawsky's (1990) and Vidal and Lejárraga's (2004), which include the bequest motive. This will enable us to calculate the ann…
Sustainability reporting and public value: Evidence from port authorities
2023
Due to the growing importance of Port Authorities (PAs) in pursuing economic, social, and environmental goals, scholars and policymakers should understand how these PAs can contribute to creating public value. By adopting the strategic triangle framework of public value, we studied how Italian PAs create public value by investigating their non-financial disclosures. For this purpose, we performed a cluster analysis and a lexical correspondence analysis on the textual content of the sustainability reports of eight Italian PAs. The study results allowed us to understand how PAs preserve and disseminate public value, obtain legitimacy and support from stakeholders, and build operational capaci…
A Perturbation Approach to Continuous-Time Portfolio Selection Under Stochastic Investment Opportunities
2013
This paper studies portfolio selection in continuous-time models with stochastic investment opportunities. We consider asset allocation problems where preferences are specified as power utility derived from terminal wealth as well as consumption-savings problems with recursive utility Epstein-Zin preferences. The paper approximates the associated dynamic programming problem by perturbing the coefficients of the stochastic dynamics. We represent the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation as a series of partial differential equations that can be solved iteratively in closed-form through computer algebra software, at any desired accuracy.