Interpreting Time Horizon Effects in Inter-Temporal Choice

Thomas Dohmen, Armin Falk, David Huffman and Uwe Sunde

No 3750, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: We compare different designs that have been used to test for an impact of time horizon on discounting, using real incentives and two representative data sets. With the most commonly used type of design we replicate the typical finding of declining (hyperbolic) discounting, but with other designs find constant or increasing discounting. As a whole, the data are not consistent with any of these usual candidate discounting assumptions, and they also imply a violation of transitivity. The results have implications for interpreting previous evidence, and pose an important puzzle for understanding inter-temporal choice.

Keywords: time preference; hyperbolic discounting; self-control; dynamic inconsistency; intransitivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D01 D03 D90 E21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

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Working Paper: Interpreting Time Horizon Effects in Inter-Temporal Choice (2012)
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