Interpretations of utility and their implications for the valuation of health

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dolan, Paul; Kahneman, Daniel
• 署名单位: Imperial College London; Princeton University
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02110.x
• 发表日期: 2008
• 页码: 215-234
• 关键词: quality-of-life; time trade-off; psychosocial adaptation; response shift; disability; happiness; people; FUTURE; pain; preferences

摘要

The term 'utility' can be interpreted in terms of the hedonic experience of an outcome (experienced utility) or in terms of the preference or desire for that outcome (decision utility). It is this second interpretation that lies at the heart of the methods that economists have developed to value non-market goods, such as health. In this article, we argue that decision utility is unlikely to generate meaningful data on the utility associated with different experiences, and instead economists should look towards developing measures that focus more directly on experienced utility.