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Discounting and the representative median agent

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  • Emmerling, Johannes
  • Groom, Ben
  • Wettingfield, Tanja

Abstract

We derive a simple formula for the social discount rate (SDR) that uses the median, rather than average agent of the economy to reect the consequences of consumption growth on income inequality. Under reasonable assumptions, the difference between the growth of median and mean incomes is used to adjust the wealth-effect in the standard Ramsey rule. In a plausible special case the representative agent has the median income. With inequality aversion elasticity of 2 (1.5,1), the U.K. and U.S. SDR would be 1% (0.5%, 0.25%) lower than the standard Ramsey rule. This reects two decades of inequality-increasing growth and implies greater weight placed on future generations in public appraisal.

Suggested Citation

  • Emmerling, Johannes & Groom, Ben & Wettingfield, Tanja, 2017. "Discounting and the representative median agent," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 84859, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:84859
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Quaas, Martin F. & Baumgärtner, Stefan & Drupp, Moritz A. & Meya, Jasper N., 2020. "Intertemporal utility with heterogeneous goods and constant elasticity of substitution," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Rintaro Yamaguchi, 2019. "Intergenerational Discounting with Intragenerational Inequality in Consumption and the Environment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(4), pages 957-972, August.
    3. Moritz A. Drupp & Ulrike Kornek & Jasper N. Meya & Lutz Sager, 2021. "Inequality and the Environment: The Economics of a Two-Headed Hydra," CESifo Working Paper Series 9447, CESifo.
    4. van der Ploeg, Frederick & Emmerling, Johannes & Groom, Ben, 2022. "The Social Cost of Carbon with Intragenerational Inequality under Economic Uncertainty," RFF Working Paper Series 22-08, Resources for the Future.
    5. Frederick van der Ploeg & Johannes Emmerling & Ben Groom, 2023. "The Social Cost of Carbon with Intragenerational Inequality and Economic Uncertainty," Discussion Papers 2301, University of Exeter, Department of Economics.
    6. Drupp, Moritz A. & Meya, Jasper N. & Baumgärtner, Stefan & Quaas, Martin F., 2017. "Economic inequality and the value of nature," Economics Working Papers 2017-08, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Department of Economics.
    7. Venmans, Frank & Groom, Ben, 2021. "Social discounting, inequality aversion, and the environment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    8. Frikk Nesje & Moritz A. Drupp & Mark C. Freeman & Ben Groom, 2022. "Philosophers and Economists Can Agree on the Intergenerational Discount Rate and Climate Policy Paths," CESifo Working Paper Series 9930, CESifo.
    9. Jasper N. Meya & Stefan Baumgärtner & Moritz A. Drupp & Martin F. Quaas, 2020. "Inequality and the Value of Public Natural Capital," CESifo Working Paper Series 8752, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    social discount rate; income inequality; inequality aversion; cost benefit analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F3 - International Economics - - International Finance
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance

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