Tastes, castes, and culture: The influence of society on preferences

Arbeitspapier

Economists have traditionally treated preferences as exogenously given. Preferences are assumed to be influenced by neither beliefs nor the constraints people face. As a consequence, changes in behaviour are explained exclusively in terms of changes in the set of feasible alternatives. Here we argue that the opposition to explaining behavioural changes in terms of preference changes is illfounded, that the psychological properties of preferences render them susceptible to direct social influences, and that the impact of society on preferences is likely to have important economic and social consequences.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Working Paper ; No. 26

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines ; Relation of Economics to Social Values ; Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
• Subject: endogenous preferences ; culture ; caste ; frames ; anchors ; elicitation devices ; Präferenztheorie ; Verhaltensökonomik ; Soziale Norm ; Soziale Schicht ; Kultur ; Theorie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Fehr, Ernst ; Hoff, Karla
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Zurich, Department of Economics
• (where): Zurich
• (when): 2011

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.5167/uzh-51530
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/77533
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET