Journal Article

Risk Aversion at the Country Level


Abstract: This article estimates the coefficient of relative risk aversion for 75 countries using data on self-reports of personal well-being from the 2006 Gallup World Poll. The analysis suggests that the coefficient of relative risk aversion varies closely around 1, which corresponds to a logarithmic utility function. The authors conclude that their results support the use of the log utility function in numerical simulations of economic models.

JEL Classification: D31; D80; I31; O57;

https://doi.org/10.20955/r.97.53-66

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Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Part of Series: Review

Publication Date: 2015

Volume: 97

Issue: 1

Pages: 53-66