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Are there Social Limits to Growth?

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Abstract

Hirsch (1976) suggested that as consumption grows, an increasing proportion of the benefits people derive from consumption is due to a status effect. Status is a relative concept that cannot be increased on average; thus it may seem reasonable to expect that as consumption grows, the marginal benefits of consumption decrease more than the marginal benefits of status. In equilibrium, however, there will be price effects that may more than outweigh this effect. Thus, there is no a priori reason to expect more status-seeking behavior in richer societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Kjell Arne Brekke & Richard B. Howarth & Karine Nyborg, 1998. "Are there Social Limits to Growth?," Discussion Papers 239, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssb:dispap:239
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    File URL: https://www.ssb.no/a/publikasjoner/pdf/DP/dp239.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. João Bernardino & Tanya Araújo, 2010. "On Positional Consumption and Technological Innovation- an Agent-based Approach," Working Papers Department of Economics 2010/04, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    2. Knut R. Wangen & Erik Biørn, 2001. "Prevalence and substitution effects in tobacco consumption: A discrete choice analysis of panel data," Discussion Papers 312, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    3. Kjell Arne Brekke & Richard B. Howarth, 1998. "The Social Contingency of Wants Implications for Growth and the Environment," Discussion Papers 227, Statistics Norway, Research Department.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Status-seeking; relative consumption;

    JEL classification:

    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • D50 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - General

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