Chapter 1: Status as concept and social fact -- Part I: Theoretical perspectives -- Chapter 2: The manipulation of status: Causes and effects -- Chapter 3: Status and cognition: Decision making, policy implementation, and fallacies and biases in status ordered fields -- Part II: Empirical cases...

A growing economic literature stresses the importance of relative comparisons, e.g., for savings and consumption or happiness. In this literature it is usually assumed that reference standards against which people compare themselves are exogenously given. In contrast findings from social...

We consider a consumption model that takes into account the valuation and demand uncertainties that consumers face while using access services. Typical examples of such services include telecommunication services, extended warranties for consumer electronics, and club memberships. We demonstrate...