Revealed preference analysis and bounded rationality

Abstract

The principle of revealed preference is the backbone of structural empirical work on consumer demand. It focuses on what we can learn about the processes by which economic agents make decisions, using observed choices and minimal auxiliary assumptions. Classical revealed preference methods assume that choices and preferences are stable and consistent, but many studies have found violations of these assumptions both in consumer data and experimental settings. Recent research effort extends far beyond the axiomatic characterization of neoclassical choice models. New behavioural theories explain these violations in a theoretically founded way, considering data consistency and preference recoverability for a wide class of behavioural models. This article reviews some of the themes emerging from the recent literature.