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Overview
In this book, Professor Kreps presents a first course on the basic models of choice theory that underlie much of economic theory. This course, taught for several years at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, gives the student an introduction to the axiomatic method of economic analysis, without placing too heavy a demand on mathematical sophistication.The course begins with the basics of choice and revealed preference theory and then discusses numerical representations of ordinal preference. Models with uncertainty come next: First is von NeumannMorgenstern utility, and then choice under uncertainty with subjective uncertainty, using the formulation of Anscombe and Aumann, and then sketching the development of Savage’s classic theory. Finally, the course delves into a number of special topics, including de Finetti’s theorem, modeling choice on a part of a larger problem, dynamic choice, and the empirical evidence against the classic models.Synopsis
In these notes, Professor Kreps surveys the standard models of choice under uncertainty that lie at the heart of microeconomic theory. Choice and preference, ordinal utility, von Neumann–Morganstern utility and utility functions for money, and subjective probability and subjective expected utility are among the standard topics covered. These notes provide a rigorous but accessible introduction to the theory of choice for mathematically inclined undergraduates and/or graduate students in economics, finance, and related disciplines.