Recognising time as a policy issue

An article in Policy Design and Practice argues that the impact of policies on our time deserves more attention. Time is considered valuable, ‘Time is money’, as the saying goes. Time, however, is more than that. Our lives are built on moment-to-moment experiences that shape our overall well-being. To make the most of each moment, we must have the freedom to choose our experiences to enhance our well-being. If we adopt this perspective, we must consider the impact of policies on our use of time, allowing people to choose their experiences to enhance their well-being.

Governments fundamentally impact our time-use choices by regulating work hours, implementing activation programs, providing long-term care policies, investing in transportation, and defining school hours. These examples vary across nations, but they highlight two critical points.

First, while how we use time may be subject to our personal decisions, government policies significantly influence our use of time. Second, even if well-intentioned, such policies may lead to conflicting outcomes at the societal level and hinder our well-being. This therefore makes it essential to consider time when formulating policy.

Public policy and public administration researchers emphasise the importance of time, primarily examining policy or processes in terms of time. Others emphasise the importance of time for policy but fall short of developing a policy approach. Time as Policy Approach (TPA) calls for more attention to time as an outcome of policies, and a way to promote policies that enable experiences with time that support our well-being. The aim is to develop a policy approach that cuts across fields, to provide direction and guidance, in issues involving gender, youth, disability or the environment.

1. Relevance: Why do we need to pay attention to time?

Embracing TPA will benefit society by putting time at the centre of policy focus. Time is more tangible than well-being, which is difficult to evaluate and is becoming increasingly relevant today, particularly in advanced societies.

Time is essential to our well-being, yet as individuals and policymakers, we tend to pay insufficient attention to it. One reason is ‘neglecting the cost of time’. Time has an ambiguous value; it is difficult to evaluate accurately and holds varying meanings and importance for different people and contexts.

In economic terms, it is challenging to price time, and if we overspend, the lack of immediate consequences leads to the perception that time is less critical Moreover, the tendency to equate time with money and efficiency has led to a 24/7 time-stressed society with problematic outcomes in everyday life. This includes the under-investment in relationships, leisure, and care, which are crucial to personal well-being.

2. The empirical foundation

The need to go beyond income to ensure individual and societal well-being is well-documented. Studies show that how we use our time is central to well-being. People have different preferences and TPA aims to enable greater freedom of choice and opportunities. Policy recommendations should be context-specific rather than generic.

3. The normative foundation

The normative importance of time can be viewed in the context of temporal justice which sees the right to time as a fundamental human right. The freedom to choose how to spend our time is central to autonomy and well-being. However, many people cannot choose how to spend time in a way that aligns with their well-being. Policies should endow people with more freedom to do as they wish, so long as they do not harm themselves or others.

TPA brings together diverse perspectives and disciplines – politics, public administration, health, psychology and education – to inform policies that enhance freedom and support better use of time. This requires a wide range of methodological approaches and the integration of theoretical and empirical insights.

Emerging approaches such as AI-driven analysis, participatory research, and experimental evaluation can also help illuminate long-term policy effects and improve alignment with people’s needs and aspirations, ultimately contributing to better well-being and social outcomes.

Context is essential. Social norms, environmental features, length of day, differences in time use, objective and subjective perceptions of time, and desires across the global North and South are significant influencers to policy designs.

Time is nested, influenced, and utilised by politics. It is commonly used as a tool by political actors and policymakers. The challenging question at the heart of the TPA is how to design policies that promote well-being, individual freedom, equality, and solidarity over a spectrum of diverse societies. However, until time is a central focus of policies and incorporated into the policy agenda, neither citizens nor politicians are addressing the critical question of how and why policies affect our time use.