Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
970222 The Journal of Socio-Economics 2008 14 Pages PDF
Abstract

In this paper social interaction is modeled as a consumer good. A model of household production is employed to derive the demand for social interaction. The model shows that the demand for social interaction is a function of its price, the price of other goods and income. The theory is tested with data from the General Social Survey and the results show that social interaction can be explained as the consequence of utility maximizing behavior by individuals. These results are in contrast to social capital theorists who have attributed these changes to factors such as increased community heterogeneity.

Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Economics, Econometrics and Finance Economics and Econometrics
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