Time Preference and the Process of Civilization

David Howden and Joakim Kampe

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: We begin with an admittedly simplistic statement: “civilization” is best represented by the increased availability of utility providing goods and services. In other words, civilization is synonymous with economic development. This paper concerns three questions. First, how does civilization develop? Second, what is time preference and how does it affect the development of civilization, or what we may call the “process of civilization.” Third, what factors affect time preference, and how do changes in time preference affect this civilizing process? Through these three questions, we provide the theoretical why civilization developed, instead of the more common historical how civilization actually developed.

Keywords: time preference; interest rates; civilization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O12 O19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo, nep-gro and nep-upt
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Published in International Journal of Social Economics 43.4(2016): pp. 382-399

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Related works:
Journal Article: Time preference and the process of civilization (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:79805

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