New Middle-Class Consumers in Rising Powers: Responsible Consumption and Private Standards

In this paper, we explore how the unprecedented expansion of new middle-class consumers in Rising Powers is likely to influence the extent and meaning of responsible consumption through private standards. We find that these middle-class consumers are likely to engage in discretionary spending, even at relatively low levels of income. Unfortunately, existing research does not allow us to predict the extent to which this discretionary spending will be used for responsible consumption. We develop a simple matrix to explore where and when private standards are more likely to stimulate responsible consumption effectively, and we put forward some hypotheses for future research.