Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP17411
Authors: Ali Elminejad; Tomas Havranek; Zuzana Irsova
Abstract: We collect 1,021 estimates from 92 studies that use the consumption Euler equation to measure relative risk aversion and that disentangle it from intertemporal substitution. We show that calibrations of risk aversion are typically larger than estimates thereof. Moreover, reported estimates are typically larger than the underlying risk aversion because of publication bias. After correction for the bias, the literature suggests a mean risk aversion of 1 in economics and 2--7 in finance contexts. The reported estimates are systematically driven by the characteristics of data (frequency, dimension, country, stockholding) and utility (functional form, treatment of durables). To obtain these results we use nonlinear techniques to correct for publication bias and Bayesian model averaging techniques to account for model uncertainty.
Keywords: Euler Equation; Risk Aversion; Epstein-Zin Preferences; Meta-analysis; Publication Bias; Bayesian Model Averaging
JEL Codes: C83; D81; D90
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| publication bias (C46) | estimates of relative risk aversion (D11) |
| correcting for publication bias (C46) | mean relative risk aversion (D11) |
| data characteristics (C80) | observed estimates of risk aversion (D11) |
| context (Y60) | estimates of relative risk aversion (D11) |
| characteristics of studies (C90) | reported estimates (C13) |
| stockholders studies (G32) | values of risk aversion (D81) |