A consumer is deciding how much to consume today versus how much to consume in the future, and they prefer a balanced consumption plan over extreme ones. Consider two consumption bundles, A and B, that provide the same overall level of satisfaction. At bundle A, consumption today is low and future consumption is high. At bundle B, consumption today is high and future consumption is low. How does the consumer's willingness to sacrifice a unit of future consumption for an additional unit of today's consumption compare between these two bundles?

Analyzing Intertemporal Choice

A consumer whose indifference curves for present and future consumption are straight lines (linear) exhibits a strong preference for maintaining a balanced consumption level across both periods.

Analyzing Intertemporal Consumption Choices

The Shape of Intertemporal Preferences

A consumer is making choices about how much to consume in the present versus in the future. Their preferences are represented by indifference curves that are 'bowed to the origin'. Match each feature of these curves with its economic interpretation.

Characterizing Atypical Consumption Preferences

In an intertemporal choice model, an individual's preference for a balanced consumption plan over time—rather than consuming a lot in one period and very little in another—is captured by a diminishing ___________ as they move along an indifference curve toward more present consumption.

A consumer prefers to have a relatively balanced amount of consumption in the present and the future, rather than having a lot in one period and very little in the other. Which of the following descriptions of indifference curves, plotting present consumption against future consumption, best represents this consumer's preferences?

A consumer is indifferent between two consumption plans over two periods: Plan A (consume 20 units now, 80 units in the future) and Plan B (consume 80 units now, 20 units in the future). A third plan, Plan C, is created by averaging the consumption levels of Plan A and Plan B for each period. Assuming this consumer has a typical preference for balanced consumption over time, which statement correctly evaluates Plan C?