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Keeping Up with the Joneses: Who Loses Out?

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  • Ulph, David

Abstract

This paper investigates how well-being varies with individual wage rates when individuals care about relative consumption and so there are Veblen effects - Keeping up with the Joneses - leading individuals to over-work. In the case where individuals compare themselves with their peers - those with the same wage-rate - it is shown that Keeping up with the Joneses leads some individuals to work who otherwise would have chosen not to. Moreover for these individuals well-being is a decreasing function of the wage rate - contrary to standard theory. So those who are worst-off in society are no longer those on the lowest wage.

Suggested Citation

  • Ulph, David, 2014. "Keeping Up with the Joneses: Who Loses Out?," SIRE Discussion Papers 2015-14, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    • Handle: RePEc:edn:sirdps:602
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10943/602
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael J. Boskin & Eytan Sheshinski, 1978. "Optimal Redistributive Taxation When Individual Welfare Depends upon Relative Income," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 92(4), pages 589-601.
    2. Easterlin, Richard A, 2001. "Income and Happiness: Towards an Unified Theory," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 111(473), pages 465-484, July.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dasgupta, Partha & Southerton, Dale & Ulph, Alistair & Ulph, David, 2014. "Consumer Behaviour in a Social Context: Implications for Environmental Policy," 2007 Annual Meeting, July 29-August 1, 2007, Portland, Oregon TN 2015-10, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    2. Partha Dasgupta & Dale Southerton & Alistair Ulph & David Ulph, 2016. "Consumer Behaviour with Environmental and Social Externalities: Implications for Analysis and Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 65(1), pages 191-226, September.
    3. Bronnmann, Julia & Requate, Till & Steinbrunner, Philipp, 2025. "Driving desire: Exploring willingness to pay for a higher social status in automobiles," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    4. Felix FitzRoy & Jim Jin & Michael Nolan, 2023. "Higher tax and less work: reverse “Keep up with the Joneses” and rising inequality," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 177-190, August.
    5. Fengqi Liu & Keqing Liu & Jianpo Xue, 2025. "Habit Formation and News-driven Business Cycles," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 56, April.
    6. Irakli Japaridze & Nagham Sayour, 2021. "Dying from envy: The role of inequality," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(6), pages 1374-1392, June.
    7. Ratbek Dzhumashev & Ainura Tursunalieva, 2016. ""Keeping up with the Joneses" and fertility choice," Monash Economics Working Papers 30-16, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    8. Ulph, Alistair & Ulph, David, 2021. "Environmental policy when consumers value conformity," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    9. Partha Dasgupta & Dale Southerton & Alistair Ulph & David Ulph, 2014. "Consumer Behaviour in a Social Context: Implications for Environmental Policy," Discussion Paper Series, School of Economics and Finance 201407, School of Economics and Finance, University of St Andrews.
    10. Huang, Kevin X.D. & Liu, Fengqi & Meng, Qinglai & Xue, Jianpo, 2022. "Keeping up with the Joneses and the consumption response to government spending," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    11. FitzRoy, Felix & Jin, Jim & Nolan, Michael A., 2019. "Higher Tax and Less Work: An Optimal Response to Relative Income Concern," IZA Discussion Papers 12468, IZA Network @ LISER.
    12. Frédéric Gavrel & Thérèse Rebière, 2015. "On the Equilibrium and Welfare Consequences of Going Ahead of the Smiths," Working Papers halshs-01242504, HAL.
    13. Frédéric Gavrel & Thérèse Rebière, 2018. "On the equilibrium and welfare consequences of getting ahead of the Smiths," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 20(2), pages 257-270, April.
    14. Dasgupta, Partha & Southerton, Dale & Ulph, Alistair & Ulph, David, 2014. "Consumer Behaviour in a Social Context: Implications for Environmental Policy," SIRE Discussion Papers 2015-10, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).

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