Ghiglino, Christian and Tabasso, Nicole (2016) 'Risk aversion in a model of endogenous growth.' Journal of Mathematical Economics, 64. 30 - 40. ISSN 0304-4068

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Abstract

Despite the evidence on incomplete financial markets and substantial risk being borne by innovators, current models of growth through creative destruction predominantly model innovators’ as risk neutral. Risk aversion is expected to reduce the incentive to innovate and we might fear that without insurance innovation completely disappears in the long run. The present paper introduces risk averse agents into an occupational choice model of endogenous growth in which insurance against failure to innovate is not available. We derive a clear negative relationship between the level of risk aversion and long run growth. Surprisingly, we show that in an equilibrium there exists a cut-off value of risk aversion below which the growth rate of the mass of innovators tends to a strictly positive constant. In this case, innovation persists on the long run and consumption per capita grows at a strictly positive rate. On the other hand, for levels of risk aversion above the cut-off value, the economy eventually stagnates.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Endogenous growth; Risk aversion; Occupational choice
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics, Department of
Depositing User:	Jim Jamieson
Date Deposited:	28 Mar 2016 11:55
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2018 14:15
URI:	http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/16361

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