Springer Behavioral Economics of Preferences, Choices, and Happiness

This book is a collection of important contributions by Japanese researchers and their coauthors to present current advances in behavioral economics and finance, particularly in relation to decision making and human well-being. The topics covered in this volume include decision making under the conditions of inter-temporal choices, risk and social relations, happiness and the neuro-scientific/biological basis of behavior. The book includes works of research, both theoretical and empirical, on time discounting, time preferences, risk aversion, altruism, social status, happiness, addiction, limited attention and health and financial investments. The authors of the chapters add supplementary discussions to survey more recent advances on related topics or to provide detailed information that were abbreviated in the original publications.  The addenda will enable readers to deepen their understanding of decision making and human well-being. From the Back Cover This book is a collection of important contributions by Japanese researchers and their coauthors to present current advances in behavioral economics and finance, particularly in relation to decision making and human well-being. The topics covered in this volume include decision making under the conditions of inter-temporal choices, risk, and social relations, happiness, and the neuro-scientific/biological basis of behavior. The book includes works of research, both theoretical and empirical, on time discounting, time preferences, risk aversion, altruism, social status, happiness, addiction, limited attention, and health and financial investments. The authors of the chapters add supplementary discussions to survey more recent advances on related topics or to provide detailed information that were abbreviated in the original publications. The addenda will enable readers to deepen their understanding of decision making and human well-being. About the Author Editors Shinsuke Ikeda is a professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), Osaka University and serves as the director of the Research Centre of Behavioral Economics in ISER. He got a B.Com. of Kobe University in 1980 and a Ph.D. (Doctor) of Osaka University (economics) in 1997. He was the former president of the Association of Behavioral Economics and Finance. He published articles on behavioral economics, macroeconomic dynamics, and asset pricing in Journal of Finance, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Monetary Economics, International Economic Review, etc. His work on behavioral economics is incorporated into the book Economics of Self-Destructive Choices, Springer, to appear in 2015. Hideaki Kiyoshi Kato is a professor of finance at Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. Before joining Nagoya University, he taught at Kobe University. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Utah in 1985.  He has published several books and more than 30 articles in the leading finance journals such as Review of Financial Studies, Management Science, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, International Review of Finance, Japan and the World Economy, Pacific Basin Finance Journal, Journal of Portfolio Management, Journal of Financial Research, Journal of Banking and Finance, and Journal of Futures Markets on subjects including the market efficiency and anomalies, stock options, investor behavior, dividend policy, equity offerings, and stock index futures. He is currently an associate editor of Pacific Basin Finance Journal and International Review of Finance. Fumio Ohtake is Osaka University distinguished professor and a professor in the Institute of Social and Economic Research at Osaka University and an executive vice president of Osaka University. He earned his M.A. and a Ph.D. from Osaka University in 1985 and 1996, respectively, and a B.A. from Kyoto University in 1983.