The demand for insurance against loss from a particular risky asset is likely to depend on other risks the decision-maker faces. For independently distributed other risks, referred to as background risk, Eeckhoudt and Kimball [1992] determine the effect on insurance demand of introducing...

The purpose of the survey is to summarize, discuss, and interpret published research concerning the risk aversion of decision makers who maximize expected utility. In doing this, two points are emphasized. First, any measure of risk aversion is specific to the particular outcome variable over...