Recognizing time as a policy issue: a research agenda for enhancing societal well-being

2025/10/01 by Lihi Lahat · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction #Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research #Health disparities and outcomes

paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/25741292.2025.2564528

openalex publication_date 2025/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15

Abstract

This article proposes a new research agenda for a time policy approach (TPA) for enhancing societal well-being. Time is the most valuable thing we have. I argue that the impact of policies on our time deserves more attention. While many explore this concept and some suggest time policies, my attempt here is to present a TPA as a new approach that could be applied across various policy areas to support practices aimed at enhancing people’s well-being. I begin with a brief literature review, followed by an examination of the relevance, empirical, and normative foundations that support the need to develop this approach. The final section proposes a research agenda with preliminary directions laying the groundwork for further research.

Citations

• A Theory of the Allocation of Time
• Housework: Who Did, Does or Will Do It, and How Much Does It Matter?
• Revisiting the Gender Gap in Time-Use Patterns
• The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior
• Family Policies in OECD Countries: A Comparative Analysis
• If money does not make you happy, consider time
• New policy tools and traditional policy models: better understanding behavioural, digital and collaborative instruments

Discussions

• How do policies shape the way we experience time? 🕐 This week, I presented at the School of Transnational Governance at EUI on the time policy approach. See my paper "Recognizing time as a policy iss [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]

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