Skip to main content
Log in

Regret theory with general choice sets

  • Published:
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The regret theory of choice under uncertainty proposed by Loomes and Sugden has performed well in explaining and predicting violations of Expected Utility theory. The original version of the model was confined to pairwise choices, which limited its usefulness as an economic theory of choice. Axioms for a more general form of regret theory have been proposed by Loomes and Sugden. In this article, it is shown that a simple nonmanipulability requirement is sufficient to characterize the functional form for regret theory with general choice sets. The stochastic dominance and comparative static properties of the model are outlined. A number of special cases are derived in which regret theory is equivalent to other well-known theories of choice under uncertainty.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allais, Maurice. (1953). “Le comportement de l'homme rationel devant le risque: critique des axioms et postulates de l'école americaine,”Econometrica 21, 503–546.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, D. (1982). “Regret in Decision Making under Uncertainty,”Operations Research 20, 961–981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Camerer, Colin. (1989). “An Experimental Test of Several Generalized Utility Theories,”Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 2, 61–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, Peter and Joseph Stiglitz. (1974). “Increases in Risk and in Risk Aversion,”Journal of Economic Theory 8, 337–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fishburn, Peter. (1983). “Nontransitive Measurable Utility,”Journal of Mathematical Psychology 26, 31–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loomes, Graham, and Robert Sugden. (1982). “Regret Theory: An Alternative Theory of Rational Choice under Uncertainty,”Economic Journal 92, 805–824.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loomes, Graham, and Robert Sugden. (1983). “Regret Theory and Measurable Utility Theory,”Economics Letters 12, 19–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loomes, Graham, and Robert Sugden. (1986). “Disappointment and Dynamic Consistency in Choice under Uncertainty,”Review of Economic Studies 53, 271–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loomes, Graham, and Robert Sugden. (1987). “Some Implications of a More General Form of Regret Theory,”Journal of Economic Theory 41, 270–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loomes, Graham and Robert Sugden. (1987). “Testing for regret and disappointment in choice under uncertainty,”Economic Journal 97, 118–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Machina, Mark. (1983). “The Economic Theory of Individual Behavior Toward Risk: Theory, Evidence and New Directions,” Technical Report No. 433, Centre for Research on Organisational Efficiency, Stanford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quiggin, John. (1982). “A Theory of Anticipated Utility,”Journal of Economic Behavior and Organisation 3, 323–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quiggin, John. (1989). “Stochastic Dominance in Regret Theory,”Review of Economic Studies 57, 503–511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quiggin, John. (1991). “Comparative Statics for Rank-Dependent Expected Utility Theory,”Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 4, 339–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savage, L.J. (1954).Foundations of statistics. N.Y.: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sugden, Robert. (1993). “An axiomatic foundation for regret theory,”Journal of Economic Theory, forthcoming.

  • von Neumann, John, and O. Morgenstern. (1944).Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. Princeton University Press.

  • Yaari, Menahem. (1987). “The Dual Theory of Choice under Risk,”Econometrica 55, 95–115.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

I would like to thank Graham Loomes, Robert Sugden, Peter Wakker, and Nancy Wallace for helpful comments and criticism.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Quiggin, J. Regret theory with general choice sets. J Risk Uncertainty 8, 153–165 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065370

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065370

Key words

JEL No

Navigation