Uncertainty and the Theory of Choice in Microeconomics

Abstract

Decision making under uncertainty has evolved as an important focus of interest by economists and others who wish to improve the performance of the firm and the individual, Bernoulli (1954), Ramsey (1931) and von Neuman‐Morgenstern (1944) provide us with the basic maximizing rule of normative choice behaviour under uncertainty as embodied in expected utility maximization (EUM). Typically we can posit that an individual allots utility estimates to each alternative in his opportunity set and chooses the mix which maximises expected utility. However, the EUM rule can provide an optimum selection criterion and what this paper offers is a survey and critique of the EUM as it applies to the microeconomic foundation of the theory of the firm (sections 2 through 5).

Citation

Ono, H. (1986), "Uncertainty and the Theory of Choice in Microeconomics", Managerial Finance, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb013565