Social Discounting with Diminishing Returns on Investment

32 Pages Posted: 27 Dec 2007 Last revised: 21 Jan 2017

See all articles by Marc H. Vatter

Marc H. Vatter

New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate; Rivier University Department of Business and Security Studies; The Economic Utility Group; Brown University Dept. of Economics

Date Written: January 16, 2017

Abstract

I estimate the social discount rate allowing returns on investment to differ from returns on wealth. Historical returns on wealth and investment in the United States imply estimates of pure time preference and risk aversion, which I use to project returns going forward. I generalize the Ramsey Rule for optimal investment to account for any difference between rates of return on wealth and investment. Empirically, the rate of return on investment is below that on wealth, and both are declining, so drawing the distinction implies less investment as a fraction of income than under the original Ramsey Rule. The analysis suggests pure time preference of 1.02%, a descriptive social discount rate of 7.35%, and a prescriptive rate of 6.33%, based on my interpretation of the Biblical Golden Rule: zero pure time preference. This also implies an increase in investment over historical and projected rates of about 4% of GDP.

Keywords: discount, social, diminishing, return, wealth, investment

JEL Classification: H43, Q38, Q48, Q54

Suggested Citation

Vatter, Marc H., Social Discounting with Diminishing Returns on Investment (January 16, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1078502 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1078502

Marc H. Vatter (Contact Author)

New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate ( email )

21 South Fruit Street, Suite 18
Concord, NH 03301-2429
United States
603.271.1175 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.oca.nh.gov/

Rivier University Department of Business and Security Studies ( email )

420 South Main Street
Sylvia Trottier Hall
Nashua, NH 03060
United States
603.897.8237 (Phone)
03060 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.rivier.edu

The Economic Utility Group ( email )

174 Main Street, Suite 14
Nashua, NH 03060
United States
503.227.1994 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://appliedecon.net

Brown University Dept. of Economics ( email )

64 Waterman Street
Providence, RI 02912
United States
401-863-3836 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Economics/

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