Background
Social time preference is a crucial concept in economics, encapsulating the notion that society tends to value present consumption more highly than future consumption. This preference reflects how individuals and policymakers balance immediate gratification against long-term benefits.
Historical Context
The idea of time preference has been acknowledged since the times of classical economists such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo. It was later refined by economists including John Rae, Eugen Böhm-Bawerk, and Irving Fisher, who introduced more systematic approaches to analyzing the intertemporal choices of societies.
Definitions and Concepts
Social time preference confers the societal inclination to prioritize immediate consumption over deferred consumption. The rate at which future benefits and costs are discounted in comparison to current benefits and costs is determined by the social time preference rate.
Major Analytical Frameworks
Classical Economics
Classical economists conceptualized the foundations of time preference, even though a formal term was not in place.
Neoclassical Economics
In neoclassical economics, social time preference is related to the intertemporal choices made by consumers and its reflection in market interest rates.
Keynesian Economics
Keynesian analysis incorporates time preference into models that address savings, consumption, and investment, significantly impacting economic stability and growth.
Marxian Economics
While less emphasized, notions of time preference emerge in Marxian economics in discussions around capital accumulation and the valuation of labor over time.
Institutional Economics
Institutional economists study how social norms, government policies, and regulatory frameworks influence society’s time preference rates.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economics uncovers how psychological factors and bounded rationality affect intertemporal choices and social time preference.
Post-Keynesian Economics
In post-Keynesian frameworks, the concept is integrated into broader assessments of uncertainty, liquidity preference, and the role of real-world frictions.
Austrian Economics
Austrian economists like Böhm-Bawerk emphasized time preference in explaining interest rates and capital investment decisions.
Development Economics
In development economics, social time preference is vital for assessing policies on systemic investments in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Monetarism
Monetary theorists like Milton Friedman consider the rate of social time preference when examining the impacts of monetary policy on savings and investment behavior.
Comparative Analysis
Different schools of economic thought analyze social time preference through varied lenses: from the theoretical rigor of neoclassical models to the psychological insights of behavioral economics.
Case Studies
- Cost-Benefit Analysis of Carbon Emissions Reductions
- Long-term Infrastructure Projects and Discount Rates
- Public Health Investments and Future Benefits
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- “The Theory of Interest” by Irving Fisher
- “Intertemporal Economics” by Alistair G. Hall and John R. Stachurski
- “Choosing the Future: The Theory of Time Value Decisions” by Louise’s Duck
Related Terms with Definitions
- Discount Rate: The interest rate used to convert future costs or benefits to present values.
- Time Discounting: The method by which future values are weighed against present values.
- Intertemporal Choice: Decisions based on trade-offs between present and future benefits.
