Description
Book SynopsisTime is the ultimate scarce resource and thus quintessentially a topic for economics, the study of scarcity. Starting with the observation that time is increasingly valuable given competing demands as we have more things we can buy and do, Spending Time provides engaging insights into how people use their time and what determines their decisions about spending their time.
Trade Review"Spending time with Dan Hamermesh's latest book is informative and entertaining at the same time." -- Alvin Roth, co-winner of the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics and author of Who Gets What and Why
"Time is our greatest gift, our dearest resource. Dan Hamermesh provides a comprehensive and engaging account of how we spend our time, and why it matters. Your time spent reading this thoughtful book will be well worth it." -- Alan B. Krueger, Bendheim
"How we spend our time has crucial implications for individual well-being, but also for the way our societies function. This book does an amazing job at providing a much-needed overview of this topic, as well as intriguing details and analysis. It will leave you smarter, inspired -- and motivated to spend your time wisely." -- Christoph M. Schmidt, President, RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
"Daniel Hamermesh has been thinking for decades about time -- how we use it, the forces that shape our choices, and the implications of those choices for our lives and for society. Spending Time is a fascinating and accessible distillation, full of illuminating anecdotes, and sometimes surprising insights about topics as diverse as school schedules, overtime regulation, daylight saving time and climate change." -- Katharine G. Abraham, Professor of Economics and Survey Methodology, University of Maryland
"Time is scarce and this wonderful book brings the power of economic insights from a world renowned researcher to enhance our understanding of the way we use time. Fascinating, accessible, and, perceptive it examines the way different people, at different stages of their life and in different countries around the world spend their time. Spend some time to read this!" -- Professor Richard Blundell, Institute for Fiscal Studies and University College London
Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Introduction -You Can't Always Get What You Want Chapter 2: What Do We Do When We're Not Working? Chapter 3: How Much Do We Work? Chapter 4: When Do We Work? Chapter 5: Women and Men Chapter 6: So Happy Together? Chapter 7: "The Last of Life, for Which the First Was Made" Chapter 8: The Perennial Issue and an Old/New Concern Chapter 9: E Pluribus Unum? Chapter 10: Are "The Rich [really] Different from You and Me"? Chapter 11: Kvetching About Time Chapter 12: Do We Have More Time Now? Will We Get More Time? Chapter 13: What Is to Be Done?
