Background
Time preference is an essential concept in economics that explains how individuals and societies prioritize immediate versus future consumption. It underpins decisions about savings, investments, and consumption patterns over time.
Historical Context
The concept of time preference dates back to early economic thought but has been developed and formalized more explicitly in the 20th century by economists such as Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk, Irving Fisher, John Maynard Keynes, and Paul Samuelson. These developments paved the way for modern theories of intertemporal choice and growth.
Definitions and Concepts
Time preference refers to the tendency of people to prefer immediate gains over future gains of equal or greater value. This concept highlights individual or societal preferences concerning the allocation of consumption at various points in time. Related concepts include:
- Discounting the Future: The process of reducing the value of future benefits and costs to account for time preference.
- Social Time Preference: Collective or societal preferences towards present versus future consumption, reflecting broader socio-economic policies and objectives.
Major Analytical Frameworks
Classical Economics
Classical economists, including Adam Smith and David Ricardo, indirectly addressed time preference through their discussions on capital accumulation and interest rates, emphasizing the role of savings and investments.
Neoclassical Economics
Neoclassical economics models time preference through utility functions incorporating present and future consumption. The concept is central to the formulation of the discounted utility model proposed by Paul Samuelson.
Keynesian Economics
John Maynard Keynes addressed time preferences in the context of liquidity preference theory, where individuals prefer current liquidity over future uncertain returns, influencing interest rates and investment rates.
Marxian Economics
Marxian theory, while not explicitly focusing on time preference, examines the dynamics of capital accumulation and capitalism’s temporal inconsistencies that stem indirectly from time preferences.
Institutional Economics
Institutional economists analyze how social norms, institutions, and cultural practices affect collective and individual time preferences, offering insights into why different societies exhibit varying saving and investment behaviors.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economics investigates anomalies in time preference, such as hyperbolic discounting, where individuals’ time preference rates may not remain consistent over different periods, affecting their long-term decision making and self-control issues.
Post-Keynesian Economics
Post-Keynesian economics builds on Keynes’ ideas, examining how time preference interacts with financial markets, uncertainty, and expectations in a way that impacts economic stability and growth.
Austrian Economics
Austrian economists, notably Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk, focused extensively on time preferences, arguing that they drive interest rates and the structure of capital goods.
Development Economics
Time preferences profoundly impact development economics, influencing policies on savings, investment, and economic development in less developed countries.
Monetarism
Monetarists consider time preference crucial in understanding inflation rates and monetary policy, emphasizing the role of time preference in the velocity of money.
Comparative Analysis
Different economic schools offer varying perspectives on the impact of time preference on economic decision-making. Classical and Neoclassical views primarily frame it in terms of individual choice and intertemporal allocation, while Keynesian and Post-Keynesian emphasize its role in broader economic stability. Behavioral economics provides a nuanced perspective by integrating psychological dimensions that explain deviations from purely rational behavior.
Case Studies
To understand time preference, one might examine varying saving rates across countries, retirement planning behavior, or responses to policies aiming at future-oriented consumption like tax incentives for savings.
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- Theory of Interest by Irving Fisher
- The Economics of Time and Ignorance by Gerald P. O’Driscoll Jr., Mario J. Rizzo
- Behavioral Economics: Past, Present, and Future by Fabrizio Ghisellini
- Time and Economics: Black Holes and Big Bangs by Pascal Bridel
Related Terms with Definitions
- Discounting the Future: Lowering the present value of future benefits and costs due to time preference.
- Intertemporal Choice: Decisions made by individuals or entities about what and how much to consume or invest at different times.
- Present Value: The current worth of a future sum of money or stream of cash flows given a specified rate of return.
- Interest Rate: The cost of borrowing money or the return for lending money, influenced by time preferences.
