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Imitative Obesity and Relative Utility Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics David G. Blanchflower
Andrew J. Oswald
Bert Van Landeghem
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If human beings care about their relative weight, a form of imitative obesity can emerge (in which people subconsciously keep up with the weight of the Joneses). Using Eurobarometer data on 29 countries, this paper provides cross-sectional evidence that overweight perceptions and dieting are influenced by a person's relative BMI, and longitudinal evidence from the German Socioeconomic Panel that well-being is influenced by relative BMI. Highly educated people see themselves as fatter-at any given actual weight-than those with low education. These results should be treated cautiously, and fixed-effects estimates are not always well determined, but there are grounds to take seriously the possibility of socially contagious obesity. (JEL: D1, I12, I31) (c) 2009 by the European Economic Association.
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Article provided by MIT Press in its journal Journal of the European Economic Association .
Volume (Year): 7 (2009)
Issue (Month): 2-3 (04-05)
Pages: 528-538
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Handle: RePEc:tpr:jeurec:v:7:y:2009:i:2-3:p:528-538Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/jeea
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Paper David G. Blanchflower & Andrew J. Oswald & Bert Van Landeghem, 2008.
"Imitative Obesity and Relative Utility ,"
NBER Working Papers
14337, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted) Blanchflower, David G. & Oswald, Andrew J. & Van Landeghem, Bert, 2009.
"Imitative Obesity and Relative Utility ,"
IZA Discussion Papers
4010, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
[Downloadable!] Find related papers by JEL classification: D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Production I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - General Welfare
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references Cited by : (explanations , Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile , click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)
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