Present-Biased Preferences and Credit Card Borrowing

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2010
Volume: 2
Issue: 1
Pages: 193-210

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Some individuals borrow extensively on their credit cards. This paper tests whether present-biased time preferences correlate with credit card borrowing. In a field study, we elicit individual time preferences with incentivized choice experiments, and match resulting time preference measures to individual credit reports and annual tax returns. The results indicate that present-biased individuals are more likely to have credit card debt, and to have significantly higher amounts of credit card debt, controlling for disposable income, other socio-demographics, and credit constraints. (JEL D12, D14, D91)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:2:y:2010:i:1:p:193-210
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-26