The demand for social interaction

Henry Saffer ()

Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), 2008, vol. 37, issue 3, 1047-1060

Abstract: In this paper social interaction is modeled as a consumer good. A model of household production is employed to derive the demand for social interaction. The model shows that the demand for social interaction is a function of its price, the price of other goods and income. The theory is tested with data from the General Social Survey and the results show that social interaction can be explained as the consequence of utility maximizing behavior by individuals. These results are in contrast to social capital theorists who have attributed these changes to factors such as increased community heterogeneity.

Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Working Paper: The Demand for Social Interaction (2005)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:soceco:v:37:y:2008:i:3:p:1047-1060

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