Time is the ultimate scarce resource and thus quintessentially a topic for economics, whichstudies 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.
That our time is limited by the number of hours in a day, days in a year, and years in our lives means that we face constraints and thus choices that involve trade-offs. We sleep, eat, have fun, watch TV, and not least we work. How much we dedicate to each, and why we do so, is intriguing and no one is better placed to shed light on similarities and differences than Daniel S. Hamermesh, the leading authority on time-use. Here he explores how people use their time, including across countries, regions, cultures, class, and gender.
Americans now work more than people in other rich countries, but as recently as the late 1970s they worked no more than others; and they also work longer into older age. Men and women do different things at different times of the day, which affects how well-off they feel. Both the arrival of children and retirement create major shocks to existing time uses, with differences between the sexes. Higher incomes and higher wage rates lead people to hurry more, both on and off the job, and higher wage rates lead people to cut back on activities that take time away from work.
Being stressed for time is central to modern life, and Hamermesh shows who is rushed, and why. He traces the differences between gays/lesbians and heterosexuals as well as the accuracy, or lack thereof, of regional stereotypes-laid-back Californians, hurried New Yorkers, quick Londoners and relaxed Parisians, and others. Spending Time also sheds light on the similarities in time-use between immigrants and natives, and notes that assimiliation is quick. .
With Americans working more than people in France, Germany, the U.K., Japan and other rich countries, the book offers a simple but radical proposal for changing Americans' lives and reducing the stress about time.
Industry Reviews
"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 Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University, and former Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers
"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
"Daniel Hamermesh draws on over thirty years as a pioneering scholar on time use to produce a comprehensive and engaging examination of how we spend our time. Enlivened by down-to-earth examples and enriched by economic analysis, Spending Time sheds light on why we feel so stressed for time. It ponders policy options that might relieve our time stress and presents clear-eyed analyses of their likely effects. This illuminating book is well worth an
expenditure of the reader's scarce and valuable time." -- Francine D. Blau, Frances Perkins Professor of Economics, Cornell University
