Abstract

This paper studies the effect of endogenous discounting on the distribution of wealth in a Bewley–Huggett economy with an exogenous borrowing constraint. We introduce the Koopmans–Uzawa–Epstein time preferences in the benchmark model of Achdou et al. (2022) and investigate the implications on saving behaviour and wealth distribution across different wealth classes. The results highlight a self-reinforcing redistribution mechanism, through which the endogenous discounting can lead to a higher equilibrium interest rate and a more unequal wealth distribution, in comparison to the benchmark model with constant discount rate.