Hyperbolic discounting and fertility

This paper analyzes the impact of hyperbolic discounting on the timing and on the number of births. Using a simple three-period model, it shows that, without the opportunity to shift the burden of rearing children into the future, hyperbolic discounters will give birth to fewer children. If child-care costs can be shifted completely to later periods, the impact of hyperbolic discounting on births depends on the underlying motive for motherhood, namely, whether children are regarded as consumption or investment goods. A large-sample empirical analysis, which uses an inconsistent savings pattern as an indicator of time inconsistency, confirms the theoretical results.