Modelling Addiction as a Special Case of Sequential Choice
41 Pages Posted: 8 Jan 1998
Date Written: January 1996
Abstract
I consider competing explanations of addiction that might be acceptable to economists and other social scientists. I argue that the Becker-Murphy model of rational addiction meets the requirements of its proponents, but that it does not provide a convincing explanation of addicts' states of mind. As an alternative I propose a variation upon a model of competing interests within the individual proposed by Ainslie (1992).
This model permits us to draw a distinction between addictive behaviours and provides a rationale for the existence of rule based behaviour. I then show how a very small amendment of the Becker-Murphy model might capture the insights of Ainslie's work.
JEL Classification: D10, D90
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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