Reviews
'This is a long-overdue book, from one of the leading authorities in the field. Wakker is a leader both on the theoretical underpinnings of decision theory and in applying decision theory to practice; he also has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the field. The book is structured in a way that should make it easily accessible to a broad audience, from more mathematically-oriented readers interested in the foundations to practitioners interested in applying the ideas.' Joseph Y. Halpern, Cornell University, "This is a long-overdue book, from one of the leading authorities in the field. Wakker is a leader both on the theoretical underpinnings of decision theory and in applying decision theory to practice; he also has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the field. The book is structured in a way that should make it easily accessible to a broad audience, from more mathematically-oriented readers interested in the foundations to practitioners interested in applying the ideas." - Joseph Y. Halpern, Cornell University, "Peter Wakker's new book provides a brilliant account of what has happened in the field of decision theory during the last twenty years. Decision analysts will find here many tools and assessment techniques that will enlarge their usual bag of tricks. One of the virtues of the remarkable text is that it will help to reduce the gap between the models developed by decision theorists and the ones used in practice by most decision analysts. Every serious decision analyst should have a copy of this book at hand." - Denis Bouyssou, CNRS and Université Paris-Dauphine, "Peter Wakker's book conveys the beauty and practical value of formal thinking about decisions with uncertainty, with minimal mathematical fuss. Scholars who have lived with this material for years will still find much that is new." - Drazen Prelec, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Given this background, it is not a surprise that his book is a very thoughtful and in-depth overview of prospect theory." -- Marc Oliver Rieger, Mathematical Reviews, 'The need for realistic models of economic decisions involving risk and uncertainty, with plausible behavioral foundations, has never been more acute. Peter Wakker provides an intuitive and accessible, but rigorous, treatment of prospect theory, widely accepted as the main alternative to the hyper-rational expected utility model. This is the only book-length treatment of this important topic, and seems certain to dominate the field for years to come.' John Quiggin, University of Queensland, 'This book organizes, develops and presents both the classical expected utility and newer non-expected utility models of decision making in a way that only Peter Wakker could do. Readers interested in understanding how individuals do, and how they should, make decisions under conditions of risk or uncertainty could do no better than to consult this volume.' Mark Machina, University of California, San Diego, "This masterful survey of major theories of choice and of their implications for measurement represents two decades of research and teaching by a flawless perfectionist. Wakker's view of the field is scholarly, coherent and deeply personal." - Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, 2002, 'Peter Wakker's new book provides a brilliant account of what has happened in the field of decision theory during the last twenty years. Decision analysts will find here many tools and assessment techniques that will enlarge their usual bag of tricks. One of the virtues of the remarkable text is that it will help to reduce the gap between the models developed by decision theorists and the ones used in practice by most decision analysts. Every serious decision analyst should have a copy of this book at hand.' Denis Bouyssou, CNRS and Universit Paris-Dauphine, "The need for realistic models of economic decisions involving risk and uncertainty, with plausible behavioral foundations, has never been more acute. Peter Wakker provides an intuitive and accessible, but rigorous, treatment of prospect theory, widely accepted as the main alternative to the hyper-rational expected utility model. This is the only book-length treatment of this important topic, and seems certain to dominate the field for years to come." - John Quiggin, University of Queensland, "Peter Wakker's new book provides a brilliant account of what has happened in the field of decision theory during the last twenty years. Decision analysts will find here many tools and assessment techniques that will enlarge their usual bag of tricks. One of the virtues of the remarkable text is that it will help to reduce the gap between the models developed by decision theorists and the ones used in practice by most decision analysts. Every serious decision analyst should have a copy of this book at hand." - Denis Bouyssou, CNRS and Universit_ Paris-Dauphine, 'Peter Wakker's new book provides a brilliant account of what has happened in the field of decision theory during the last twenty years. Decision analysts will find here many tools and assessment techniques that will enlarge their usual bag of tricks. One of the virtues of the remarkable text is that it will help to reduce the gap between the models developed by decision theorists and the ones used in practice by most decision analysts. Every serious decision analyst should have a copy of this book at hand.' Denis Bouyssou, CNRS and Universitè Paris-Dauphine, "This book organizes, develops and presents both the classical expected utility and newer non-expected utility models of decision making in a way that only Peter Wakker could do. Readers interested in understanding how individuals do, and how they should, make decisions under conditions of risk or uncertainty could do no better than to consult this volume." - Mark Machina, University of California, San Diego, 'Peter Wakker's book conveys the beauty and practical value of formal thinking about decisions with uncertainty, with minimal mathematical fuss. Scholars who have lived with this material for years will still find much that is new.' Drazen Prelec, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Synopsis
Prospect Theory: For Risk and Ambiguity provides the first comprehensive and accessible textbook treatment of the way decisions are made both when we have the statistical probabilities associated with uncertain future events (risk) and when we lack them (ambiguity). The book presents models, primarily prospect theory, that are both tractable and psychologically realistic. A method of presentation is chosen that makes the empirical meaning of each theoretical model completely transparent. Prospect theory has many applications in a wide variety of disciplines. The material in the book has been carefully organized to allow readers to select pathways through the book relevant to their own interests. With numerous exercises and worked examples, the book is ideally suited to the needs of students taking courses in decision theory in economics, mathematics, finance, psychology, management science, health, computer science, Bayesian statistics, and engineering., Risks and uncertainties play a role in virtually all of our decisions. Quantitative models have so far been either too unrealistic or too complex. This graduate textbook presents modern models that are both realistic and tractable. All mathematical tools are related to real-life processes, ensuring accessibility to a wide audience., Prospect Theory: For Risk and Ambiguity, provides a comprehensive and accessible textbook treatment of the way decisions are made both when we have the statistical probabilities associated with uncertain future events (risk) and when we lack them (ambiguity). The book presents models, primarily prospect theory, that are both tractable and psychologically realistic. A method of presentation is chosen that makes the empirical meaning of each theoretical model completely transparent. Prospect theory has many applications in a wide variety of disciplines. The material in the book has been carefully organized to allow readers to select pathways through the book relevant to their own interests. With numerous exercises and worked examples, the book is ideally suited to the needs of students taking courses in decision theory in economics, mathematics, finance, psychology, management science, health, computer science, Bayesian statistics, and engineering.
