Title: Responsibility goods - exploring a possible definition

Authors: Stefan Mann

Addresses: Federal Research Station Agroscope, Tänikon 1, 8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland

Abstract: Goods which are purchased for the sake of society as a whole or for the sake of groups or individuals perceived as needy may be defined as responsibility goods. This paper explores the potential usefulness of such a definition. Previous definitions like Veblen goods or public goods have been useful in describing goods that did not violate certain general assumptions of economic theory. Responsibility goods violate assumptions related to quantification and price so that the introduction of this term, including its definition, would add value to the economic discourse.

Keywords: responsibility goods; warm glow; donations; definition; quantification; price.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSE.2015.071138

International Journal of Sustainable Economy, 2015 Vol.7 No.3, pp.220 - 230

Received: 24 Oct 2014
Accepted: 02 Dec 2014
Published online: 13 Aug 2015 *

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