We address the following question: When can one person properly be said to be more delay averse than another? In reply, several (nested) comparison methods are developed. These methods yield a theory of delay aversion which parallels that of risk aversion. The applied strength of this theory is...

Zeitinkonsistenz wird im Allgemeinen grob als das Phänomen verstanden, dass ein Entscheider, der einen bestimmten optimalen Plan gefasst hat, diesen bei einer späteren Reoptimierung revidiert, ohne dass sich unterdessen relevante Unsicherheit aufgelöst hätte. Die wirtschaftspolitische und...

We characterize the optimal sequential choice of monetary policy in economies with either nominal or indexed debt. In a model where nominal debt is the only source of time inconsistency, the Markov-perfect equilibrium policy implies the progressive depletion of the outstanding stock of debt,...

We empirically implement a dynamic structural model of labor supply and welfare program participation for never-married mothers with potentially time-inconsistent preferences. Using panel data on the choices of single women with children from the NLSY 1979, we provide estimates of the degree of...

We report an empirical study of determinants of the quot;video windowquot; (the interval between a movie's theatrical release and its video release), primarily based on a sample of 1429 theatrical feature films released on video in the United States between 1988 and 1997. Results support our...

We endogenize the discount rate via a broad measure of wealth and provide empirical evidence that wealth affects the discount rate negatively. We demonstrate that the Pontryagin conditions require positive felicity for intuitive results, whereas the concavity of the Hamiltonian requires negative...

We discuss the issue of time consistency of monetary policy. We develop a simple and intuitive procedure to derive analytically the unconditionally optimal (UO) policy in a general linear-quadratic set-up, a perspective stressed by Taylor (1979) and Whiteman (1986). We compare the UO perspective...

We characterize the optimal sequential choice of monetary policy in economies with either nominal or indexed debt. In a model where nominal debt is the only source of time inconsistency, the Markov-perfect equilibrium policy implies the progressive depletion of the outstanding stock of debt,...

This paper analyzes educational choices and political support for subsidies to higher education in the presence of a time-consistency problem in income redistribution. There may be political support for so generous subsidization that it motivates the median voter to obtain higher education. As a...

This paper provides an introduction, with critical interpretations, to the use of hyperbolic discounting as a model of behavior for the consumption of addictive goods. The exponential and hyperbolic discounting models are carefully reviewed, with particular emphasis on the implications for time...