Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2019
  4. arrow_forward_ios 12
  5. arrow_forward_ios Risky moves that just might just pay off

Risky moves that just might just pay off

19 December 2019

Dr Nathan Kettlewell is fascinated by risk – and what makes some people more open to taking risks while others are more cautious.

skydive

Image: Pixabay

A UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Economics Discipline of the UTS Business School, Dr Kettlewell is undertaking a program of research that seeks to understand what risk preferences are, how they’re formed, and the impact of those preferences on economic and social outcomes.

In the first stage of his research, he will test the theoretical foundations of risky choice by comparing existing approaches to measuring risk preference and looking for correlation between the results. The outcomes will shed light on how people make choices that involve risk.

“I want to understand what is the right model for predicting how people make decisions in risky situations,” he says. 

Nathan Kettlewell

Dr Nathan Kettlewell

This aspect of the work is based on expected utility theory, an economic model that seeks to understand people’s choices based on both the costs and benefits of any given action, as well as on the variance of expected returns.

In the latter two stages of his research, Dr Kettlewell will try to determine the causal factors that underpin risk preference, such as genes or environment,  and investigate whether those causal factors actually impact on individual outcomes.

“I think those two things are strongly linked,” he says.

The research will use a mix of experimental and survey data, as well as advanced statistical models to isolate the independent effects of one variable on another. Specific methodologies include linear and mixed effects regression, structural estimation using maximum likelihood and Bayesian updating approaches and twin decomposition models.

Prospective end users of the work include psychologists, who may gain new insights into their patients; companies seeking to predict consumer demand; recruiters needing to screen prospective employees; and parents and educators responsible for teaching young people new skills.

Importantly, the outcomes will also enable governments to deliver policies that help individuals exploit or overcome their risk preferences for economic or social gain.

“If you understand the channels that drive economic and social disadvantage, then you can think about the ways you might use policy to address the causes of those things and also work through the consequences,” Dr Kettlewell says. 

UTS is advancing research in areas including: communication futures; creative industries, practices, design and IP; innovative pedagogies; legal and social justice; and public histories. Learn more about some of the exciting ways UTS is making a difference here.

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to Economics News

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility