Predictive Power in Behavioral Welfare Economics

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of the European Economic Association
Year: 2021
Volume: 19
Issue: 3
Pages: 1556-1591

Authors (2)

Elias Bouacida (not in RePEc) Daniel Martin (Northwestern University)

Score contribution per author:

2.018 = (α=2.02 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

When choices are inconsistent due to behavioral biases, there is a theoretical debate about whether the structure of a model is necessary for providing precise welfare guidance based on those choices. To address this question empirically, we use standard data sets from the lab and field to evaluate the predictive power of two “model-free” approaches to behavioral welfare analysis. We find they typically have high predictive power, which means there is little ambiguity about what should be selected from each choice set. We also identify properties of revealed preferences that help to explain the predictive power of these approaches.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:jeurec:v:19:y:2021:i:3:p:1556-1591
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25