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Beyond Non-Satiation: Needs and Requirements

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  • Anna Pettini

Abstract

The hypothesis of non-satiation of rational choice theory is very seldom posed under scrutiny, maybe because it is taken as an anthropologic reality. Looking closer to that, we discover that it is taken for granted only in economic theory, and that it has become a reality as a result of a cultural process. This paper makes a brief story of this axiom, and looks at how it recently shifted into a modification of the original concept of adaptation. Using theoretical research in psychology, we find out that non-satiation is indeed not a natural feature of human beings, but a challenge to their happiness and a potentially pathological sign. The distinction between needs and requirements provides a new and solid ground on which we can discuss the quality of human needs, which is, according to Keynes, a key concept to define what the ‘economic problem’ is.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Pettini, 2014. "Beyond Non-Satiation: Needs and Requirements," CESifo Working Paper Series 5110, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_5110
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    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp5110.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Herbert A. Simon, 1955. "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 69(1), pages 99-118.
    2. Binswanger, Mathias, 2006. "Why does income growth fail to make us happier?: Searching for the treadmills behind the paradox of happiness," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 366-381, April.
    3. Marc Fleurbaey, 2009. "Beyond GDP: The Quest for a Measure of Social Welfare," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(4), pages 1029-1075, December.
    4. Ahuvia, Aaron, 2008. "If money doesn't make us happy, why do we act as if it does?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 491-507, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    non-satiation; needs; requirements; happiness; choice; adaptation; economic problem;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • D69 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Other
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I39 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Other

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