Hyperbolic Discounting and Consumer Patience: The Case of Korea

ABSTRACT

In this article, we test whether the consumption pattern in Korea exhibits a time-inconsistent discounting behavior compared to the conventional exponential discounting. We derive the quasi-hyperbolic Euler equation and estimate it using the generalized method of moments (GMM). The estimation results show that Korean consumers exhibit a time-inconsistent quasi-hyperbolic discounting behavior in general, but the pattern of inconsistency in consumption behavior, in particular the degree of impatience, depends on the estimation period, in particular whether it includes financial crisis periods in 1997–98 and 2008–11.