RISK NEUTRALITY: A preference for risk in which a person is indifferent between guaranteed or certain income over risky income. Risk neutrality arises due to constant marginal utility of income. A risk neutral person has no preference for or against risk. This is one of three risk preferences. The other two are risk aversion and risk loving.Risk neutrality is one of three alternative preferences for risk based on the marginal utility of income. A risk neutral person has constant marginal utility of income. With constant marginal utility of income a risk neutral person obtains the same utility from certain income as an equal amount of income involving risk. With risk, the utility from winning is the same as the utility from losing. The expected income is equal to the certain income and the utility obtained from the certain income is the same as the utility obtained from the expected income. A risk averse person has no particular inclination for, or aversion from, risk. Two other risk preferences are risk aversion and risk loving. A risk averse person has decreasing marginal utility of income and prefers certain income to risky income. A risk loving person has increasing marginal utility of income and prefers risky income to certain income. Risk neutrality, as much as anything else, can be thought of as the dividing line between risk aversion and risk loving. Marginal Utility of Income
The standard view in consumer demand theory is that the marginal utility of income decreases with an increase in the quantity consumed. This gives justification for the negatively-sloped demand curve. This view also generally applies to the marginal utility of income. An increase in income results in a decrease in marginal utility. Decreasing marginal utility of income results in risk aversion. However, the marginal utility of income can also increase, leading to risk loving. Or the marginal utility of income can remain constant, leading to risk neutrality. The exhibit to the right presents constant marginal utility of income. The slope of the line is the same at all levels of income. Constant marginal utility of income, represented by a straight line, is the key to risk neutrality. Increasing and decreasing marginal utility of income, represented by a convex curve and a concave curve, give rise to risk loving and risk aversion, respectively. Risk or Certainty?Risk neutrality is revealed by preferences for income obtained with certainty and an equal amount of income that involves risk. Consider these two related concepts:
The $100 that Duncan has at the start, and would keep if he did not wager, is the certain income. If he wants to keep this $100, then he can walk away from the wager. The risky income is the amount of income that he can expect to have after the wager. It's not $50 or $150, but the average of the two, $100, weighted by the probability of winning or losing. In other words, the expected income of a 50-50 wager is the amount of income he would expect to end up with after undertaking the wager a number of times, say a 100 or more. If he undertakes this wager 100 times, he can expect to win $50 exactly half of the time and lose $50 exactly half of the time. The loses exactly balance the wins and the income he can expect to end up with is $100. This can be summarized with the following equation. Expected income is the income generated by a loss, weighted by the probability of losing (p), plus the income generated by a win, weighted by the probability of win (1-p). The expression in the first set of brackets is the income from losing [(0.5) x $50]. The expression in the second set of brackets is the income from winning [(0.5) x $150]. The sum of the two expressions is the income expected from the wager, the average income obtained resulting after many wagers. The Utility of IncomeWhile income is obviously important, risk neutrality is indicated by the utility generated by the income. This is where constant marginal utility of income plays a key role. Two related utility concepts are worth noting. One is the utility of expected (or certain) income and the other is expected utility.
In contrast, expected utility is identified by separately calculating the income from a loss, and the corresponding and the income from a win, then determining the utility from each. These utility values are then averaged, weighted by the probability of a loss and a win.
Working Through a Graph
Let's re-evaluate the $50 flip-of-a-coin wager facing Duncan Thurly.
Another important implication can also be had, the risk premium. This is the amount that Duncan would be willing to pay to avoid the risk or to engage in risk. There is no risk premium. Unlike a risk averse person or a risk loving person, Duncan is not willing to pay anything extra to avoid risk or to engage in risk. This can be seen by noting the amount of income that would generate the same utility as the expected utility of the wager. A click of the [Risk Premium] button highlights this point. Note that $100 of income generates the same utility, U(100), as the expected utility from the wager EU(100). Other Risk PreferencesRisk neutrality is one of three risk preferences. The other two are risk aversion and risk loving.
Check Out These Related Terms... | risk preferences | risk aversion | risk loving | marginal utility of income | risk | uncertainty | risk pooling | risk premium | economics of uncertainty | Or For A Little Background... | economics | microeconomics | market | scarcity | efficiency | sixth rule of ignorance | marginal utility | demand curve | paper economy | consumer demand theory | And For Further Study... | public choice | economics of information | innovation | good types | market failures | financial markets | institutions | insurance | information | efficient information search | information search | asymmetric information | adverse selection | moral hazard | signalling | screening | rational ignorance | market failures | Recommended Citation: RISK NEUTRALITY, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2024. [Accessed: December 22, 2024]. |