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Log-concave probability and its applications

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Book cover Rationality and Equilibrium

Part of the book series: Studies in Economic Theory ((ECON.THEORY,volume 26))

Summary

In many applications, assumptions about the log-concavity of a probability distribution allow just enough special structure to yield a workable theory. This paper catalogs a series of theorems relating log-concavity and/or log-convexity of probability density functions, distribution functions, reliability functions, and their integrals. We list a large number of commonly-used probability distributions and report the log-concavity or log-convexity of their density functions and their integrals. We also discuss a variety of applications of log-concavity that have appeared in the literature.

We thank Ken Binmore and Larry Samuelson for encouragement and suggestments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Accounting, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-1310, USA

    Mark Bagnoli

  2. Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93105-9210, USA

    Ted Bergstrom

Authors
  1. Mark Bagnoli
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  2. Ted Bergstrom
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Krannert School of Management Department of Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2076, USA

    Charalambos D. Aliprantis  & James C. Moore  & 

  2. Department of Economics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    Rosa L. Matzkin

  3. Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3880, USA

    Daniel L. McFadden

  4. Department of Economics, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    Nicholas C. Yannelis

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Bagnoli, M., Bergstrom, T. (2006). Log-concave probability and its applications. In: Aliprantis, C.D., Matzkin, R.L., McFadden, D.L., Moore, J.C., Yannelis, N.C. (eds) Rationality and Equilibrium. Studies in Economic Theory, vol 26. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29578-X_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29578-X_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-29577-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29578-5

  • eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsEconomics and Finance (R0)

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