Tastes, Castes, and Culture : The Influence of Society on Preferences
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 change...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110815154917 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3522 |
| Summary: | 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 the authors argue that the opposition to
explaining behavioural changes in terms of preference
changes is ill-founded, 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. |
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