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Time Preference and Life Cycle Consumption with Endogenous Survival

Author

Listed:
  • Arnab K. Acharya
  • Ronald J. Balvers

Abstract

We provide a structural theory of time preference and derive a functional form of intertemporal preferences by postulating that individuals make their life-cycle consumption choices as if to maximize expected lifetime. This yields a nontime-separable expected utility representation where the inverse of the coefficient of intertemporal substitution exceeds the coefficient of relative risk aversion. The rate of time preference depends on the inverse of expected remaining lifetime and the effect of age on the productivity of consumption in affecting health. The preference formulation is applied in a standard intertemporal consumption model to illustrate the implied life-cycle consumption choices (JEL D91, B41). Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Arnab K. Acharya & Ronald J. Balvers, 2004. "Time Preference and Life Cycle Consumption with Endogenous Survival," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 42(4), pages 667-678, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ecinqu:v:42:y:2004:i:4:p:667-678
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Junji Kageyama, 2009. "On the intertemporal allocation of consumption, mortality and life-history strategies," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2009-008, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    2. Azomahou, Theophile & Diene, Bity & Soete, Luc, 2009. "The role of consumption and the financing of health investment under epidemic shocks," MERIT Working Papers 2009-006, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    3. Joseph Eisenhauer & Luigi Ventura, 2006. "The prevalence of hyperbolic discounting: some European evidence," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(11), pages 1223-1234.
    4. Azomahou, Theophile & Soete, Luc & Diene, Bity & Diene, Mbaye, 2012. "Optimal health investment with separable and non-separable preferences," MERIT Working Papers 2012-047, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    5. Junji Kageyama, 2011. "The intertemporal allocation of consumption, time preference, and life-history strategies," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 79-95, July.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology

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