Abstract
This paper aims to highlight the conspicuous consumption macroeconomic consequences. Therefore, it will be presented the following concepts: Duesenberry’s demonstration effect, Nurkse’s international demonstration effect; Furtados’s cultural mimetics; Galbraith’s dependence effect; and Hirsch’s affluence paradox. Based on the research, it was concluded that demonstrative behavior can have harmful consequences on the economies of both peripheral and developed countries. These consequences include: reduced savings and investment, increased debt, pressure on exchange rates and balance of payments, encouragement of income concentration, and chronic consumer dissatisfaction; imbalance in the allocation between private and public goods, the monopoly of positional goods, and the persistent frustration of the expectations of lower-income sectors. It will also be stated how the above-mentioned authors discuss polices to remediate the macroeconomic demonstrative consumption problems.
Keywords:
consumption; conspicuous; interpersonal; luxury; development