Project
TIMING
Time: too little, too late or too lone? Theoretical, empirical and experimental investigation of time choices
by Sam Cosaert (PI) and Alexandros Theloudis (co-PI)
Mentor: Daniel S. Hamermesh
Today’s individuals and families are swayed by shortness of time: everyone is very busy and leisure time is scarce particularly for professionals and working mothers. In response, policy makers are acting to alleviate time strain and encourage work-life balance: the Luxembourgish parental leave reform of 2016 or the European directive on work-life balance of 2017 are only a few examples. We argue that the effectiveness of these policies may depend not only on the trade-offs between the amount of work and leisure but also on the timing of such activities.
Our project addresses precisely this: household choices from the perspective of timing. We focus on two aspects of timing: the synchronization of activities between persons, and the tension between spending time (e.g. leisure) and income (e.g. consumption) now or later. We aim to tackle these aspects of time theoretically, empirically and experimentally, with the aim to better understand preferences for time as well as the trade-offs different time uses produce. Our ultimate goal is to inform policies, such as those mentioned above, whose efficacy may crucially depend on togetherness and timing.