Consuming Symbolic Goods: Identity and Commitment, Values and Economics

The phenomenon of consumption has increasingly drawn attention from economists. While the ‘sole purpose of production is consumption’, as Adam Smith has claimed, economists have up to recently generally ignored the topic.

This book brings together a range of different perspectives on the topic of consumption that will finally shed the necessary light on a largely neglected theme, such as

• Why is the consumption of symbolic goods different than that of goods that are not constitutive of indiv...