Relative consumption concerns or non-monotonic preferences?

Arbeitspapier

We conduct a classroom survey to investigate the willingness to sacrifice consumption in absolute terms in order to ascend above others in terms of consumption levels. In contrast to other studies using survey methodologies, participants are divided into a treatment and a control group. This allows us to distinguish whether choosing less in absolute terms is really induced by relative consumption concerns, or else by nonmonotonic preferences. We find that relative consumption concerns provide a good explanation for choosing less in the case of some goods, while this is not the case for a number of other goods.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IAAEU Discussion Paper Series in Economics ; No. 01/2012

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual ; Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement ; Household Behavior: General
• Subject: status consumption ; social status ; behavioral economics ; other-regarding preferences ; Konsuminterdependenz ; Präferenztheorie ; Verhaltensökonomik ; Theorie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Hillesheim, Inga ; Mechtel, Mario
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Trier, Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU)
• (where): Trier
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/80874
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET