Smoking Puzzle

Frank A. Sloan is J. Alexander McMahon Professor of Health Policy and Management and Professor of Economics, Duke University. V. Kerry Smith is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, North Carolina State University. Donald H. Taylor Jr. is Assistant Research Professor, Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University.

• Preface Acknowledgments 1. Linking Information, Risk Perception, and Choice: An Economic Approach 2. Cognition, Perception, and Behavior: Are "Bad Choices" Allowed with Rational Choice? 3. Government Policy and Advertising as Sources of Information for Smokers 4. Can Smokers Expect Personal Health Signals? An Evaluation of the Health Impact of Cigarette Smoking 5. Determinants of Risk Perception 6. Do Health Shocks Influence Smoking Behavior? Cessation and Relapse Patterns in Older Adults 7. Personalized Health Messages and the Perceived Risks of Smoking 8. Risk, Longevity Expectations, and Demand for Cigarettes 9. Conclusions and Policy Implications Notes References Index

This book makes an important contribution to tobacco policy by suggesting a new direction in information policy. In doing so, it skillfully navigates between those who claim that smokers rationally understand what they are doing—and in fact may overestimate the health risks they run—and those who claim excise taxes should be increased to keep smokers from harming themselves.