Skip to main content

Unforeseen Contingencies

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Book cover The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
  • 72 Accesses

Abstract

While unforeseen contingencies – possible events that agents do not think of when planning or contracting – are often said to greatly affect the nature of contracting, we lack useful formal models. Most of the existing models boil down to assuming that agents give zero probability to some events that might actually occur, an approach which is not particularly useful for studying the effects of unforeseen contingencies on contracting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 8,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Al Najjar, N., L. Anderlini, and L. Felli. 2006. Undescribable events. Review of Economic Studies 73: 849–868.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekel, E., B. Lipman, and A. Rustichini. 2001. Representing preferences with a unique subjective state space. Econometrica 69: 891–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, L., M. Marinacci, and K. Seo. 2007. Coarse contingencies. Working paper. University of Rochester.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fishburn, P. 1970. Utility theory for decision making, Publications in Operations Research, No. 18. New York: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ghirardato, P. 2001. Coping with ignorance: Unforeseen contingencies and non-additive uncertainty. Economic Theory 17: 247–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, S., and O. Hart. 1986. The costs and benefits of ownership: A theory of vertical and lateral integration. Journal of Political Economy 94: 691–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, J., and L. Rêgo. 2005. Interactive awareness revisited. In Proceedings of tenth conference on theoretical aspects of rationality and knowledge, ed. R. van der Meyden. Singapore: National University of Singapore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halpern, J., and L. Rêgo. 2006. Extensive games with possibly unaware players. In Proceedings of the fifth international joint conference on autonomous agents and multiagent systems. New York: ACM Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart, O. 1995. Firms, contracts, and financial structure. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, O., and J. Moore. 1988. Incomplete contracts and renegotiation. Econometrica 56: 755–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayek, F. 1960. The constitution of liberty. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heifetz, A., M. Meier, and B. Schipper. 2006a. Interactive unawareness. Journal of Economic Theory 130: 78–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heifetz, A., M. Meier, and B. Schipper. 2006b. Unawareness, beliefs, and games. Working paper. University of California–Davis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Internal Revenue Service. 2006. Selling your home, Publication 523. Washington, DC: Internal Revenue Service, US Treasury Department.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreps, D. 1979. A representation theorem for ‘preference for flexibility’. Econometrica 47: 565–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kreps, D. 1992. Static choice and unforeseen contingencies. In Economic analysis of markets and games: Essays in honor of Frank Hahn, ed. P. Dasgupta, D. Gale, O. Hart, and E. Maskin. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, J. 2006a. Information structures with unawareness. Working paper, University of Pennsylvania.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, J. 2006b. Dynamic games with unawareness. Working paper, University of Pennsylvania.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maskin, E., and J. Tirole. 1999. Unforeseen contingencies and incomplete contracts. Review of Economic Studies 66: 83–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Modica, S., A. Rustichini, and J.-M. Tallon. 1998. Unawareness and bankruptcy: Aa general equilibrium model. Economic Theory 12: 259–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O. 1975. Markets and hierarchies: Analysis and antitrust implications. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Eddie Dekel, Jing Li, Aldo Rustichini, and Marie- Odile Yanelle for discussions and comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Copyright information

© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Lipman, B.L. (2018). Unforeseen Contingencies. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2236

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics