Teoria do prospecto: revisão sistemática de literatura e análise bibliométrica

Abstract

The evolution of economic theories focused on understanding and predicting the behavior of economic agents seeks to understand how individuals make decisions in different contexts and markets. Prospect Theory, developed by Kahneman and Tversky, emerges as a critique of Expected Utility Theory. It highlights loss aversion and how individuals perceive risks and probabilities, offering a more realistic explanation for decisions in situations of risk and uncertainty. The aim of this paper is to understand the evolution of Prospect Theory over the years. Through a literature review and bibliometric analysis using the R software, a total of 10,037 documents from two databases—Scopus and Web of Science—were analyzed, covering the period from 1979 to 2024. It was observed that the annual growth rate in academic production on the topic was 10.27%, with an average of 35.04 citations per document. Of these, 95% were published in English. The countries with the highest production are the United States and China, and the most common document type is the article. Prospect Theory remains essential for behavioral economics, helping to understand decisions in risky situations. With the growth of research and its application in various contexts, the theory continues to be relevant and adapts to the complexities of human behavior in today’s economy.