Scroogenomics (eBook)

Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays

Joel Waldfogel (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2009
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-1-4008-3125-8 (ISBN)

Infos

How consumer spending during the holidays generates enormous amounts of economic wasteChristmas is a time of seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, holiday parties, and . . . gift giving. Lots and lots-and lots-of gift giving. It's hard to imagine any Christmas without this time-honored custom. But let's stop to consider the gifts we receive-the rooster sweater from Grandma or the singing fish from Uncle Mike. How many of us get gifts we like? How many of us give gifts not knowing what recipients want? Did your cousin really look excited about that jumping alarm clock? Lively and informed, Scroogenomics illustrates how our consumer spending generates vast amounts of economic waste-to the shocking tune of eighty-five billion dollars each winter. Economist Joel Waldfogel provides solid explanations to show us why it's time to stop the madness and think twice before buying gifts for the holidays.When we buy for ourselves, every dollar we spend produces at least a dollar in satisfaction, because we shop carefully and purchase items that are worth more than they cost. Gift giving is different. We make less-informed choices, max out on credit to buy gifts worth less than the money spent, and leave recipients less than satisfied, creating what Waldfogel calls "e;deadweight loss."e; Waldfogel indicates that this waste isn't confined to Americans-most major economies share in this orgy of wealth destruction. While recognizing the difficulties of altering current trends, Waldfogel offers viable gift-giving alternatives.By reprioritizing our gift-giving habits, Scroogenomics proves that we can still maintain the economy without gouging our wallets, and reclaim the true spirit of the holiday season.

Autor

Joel Waldfogel is the Ehrenkranz Professor and Chair of Business and Public Policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Tyranny of the Market and has been a columnist for Slate.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 5.10.2009
• Verlagsort: Princeton
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Religion / Theologie ► Christentum ► Kirchengeschichte
• Themenwelt: Religion / Theologie ► Christentum ► Liturgik / Homiletik
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft ► Volkswirtschaftslehre
• Schlagworte: Aid • American Family Association • americans • Behavioral Economics • Budget • Buffett • Bureau of Labor Statistics • car dealership • Cass Sunstein • cato institute • charity navigator • christmas club • Christmas gift (exclamation) • Citizens Against Government Waste • Clothing • Commercialism • consumer • Consumer behaviour • Consumer goods • Consumer Reports • Consumption (Economics) • Copenhagen Consensus • credit card • Credit (finance) • Crown Financial Ministries • Customer • Dan Ariely • Daniel Kahneman • Deadweight loss • debt • Demand curve • Department Store • Discount store • Durable good • Economics • economic surplus • economist • Engel's Law • estimation • Expenditure • Expense • Experience good • Extended family • Gift • gift card • grandparent • grocery store • Gross Domestic Product • Harriet Beecher Stowe • hearth • Household • Household income • Incentive • income • inefficiency • Inferior good • Institution • Jeffrey Sachs • Luxury Goods • Mail Order • marginal utility • Measures of national income and output • National Income and Product Accounts • National Retail Federation • Nativity Scene • Nonprofit Organization • North Korea • Obesity • opportunity cost • paternalism • Paycheck • payday loan • Pension • percentage • Poverty • Principal–agent problem • private sector • receipt • Recession • Retail • Revenue Recognition • Richard Thaler • Self-Interest • Shopping • sibling • Siena Research Institute • Sociology • Starve the beast • Statistic • sweater • Target Corporation • Tax • Taxpayer • The Conference Board • Value (economics) • Voucher • Wells Fargo • William Easterly • Willingness to pay • year
• ISBN-10: 1-4008-3125-3 / 1400831253
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4008-3125-8 / 9781400831258