The Value of Life: A Labor-Based Theory

This paper develops a labor-based model where a worker chooses between not only work and leisure, as the traditional labor models have argued, but rather between labor, leisure and the purchase of insurance. The model allows the insurance buyer to determine the amount of insurance he is willing to work for and purchase while maximizing utility and deriving the shadow price of risk, thus, the value of life. The model is applied to quadratic, logarithmic, and exponential utility functions. Results can help insurance companies determine the cost of insurance associated with a specific job and related risk.