Article

Maple Trees and Weeping Willows: The Role of Time, Uncertainty, and Affinity in Intergenerational Decisions

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Abstract

Some of the most important issues in business and society today involve a conflict of interest between present and future generations. In this article, I explore how resources are allocated across generations, articulate the role of psychological distance in intergenerational decisions, and develop the construct of intergenerational discounting. Intergenerational discounting is defined as the preference for smaller, highly probable benefits for oneself in the present to relatively larger but less certain benefits for others in the future. In three studies, I explore the role of three variables in intergenerational decisions, including time delay between decisions and their consequences, uncertainty about the future, and affinity with future generations.

Keywords: affinity, discounting, generation, interpersonal, time, uncertainty

How to Cite:

Wade‐Benzoni, K., (2008) “Maple Trees and Weeping Willows: The Role of Time, Uncertainty, and Affinity in Intergenerational Decisions”, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research 1(3), 220-245. doi: https://doi.org/10.34891/npn9-jj50