This approach to the use of time challenges debates on such fundamental issues as inequality, our relationship with nature, the value of technological progress, and more.

Time is the ultimate limited resource. Many people feel that once they’ve spent time meeting their material needs—that is, earning "bread"—they “never have enough time” to do the things they enjoy. Others feel they have too much time on their hands. Yet our brains need constant stimulation, occupation.
This essay analyses how, collectively and individually, we have used and continue to use time, this resource of ultimate scarcity.
Pierre-Noël Giraud begins by defining what a political economy of time-use would look like, before showing how it has evolved throughout history due to technological advances and political struggles. After the battle for better pay and reduced working hours, the focus has shifted to leisure time and especially "available brain time."