Individual Behavior in Social Context

This study focuses on introducing behavioral components and social context into economic models and includes three essays. It develops a theoretical framework and models individual behavior in social context for three types of decisions: a household choice of a neighborhood, a consumer decision regarding the purchase of goods and services, and a farmer choice of agricultural technologies which contribute to the reduction of the pace of global warming. The first essay deals with the social aspects of urban and regional economic problems. The second essay focuses on the impact of social context on consumer behavior. The third essay considers individual participation in the solution of common (global) problems, which induces other-regarding rather than pure self-interest behavior. The book is addressed to researchers in behavioral economics, economic psychology, consumer and household economics. It is also directed towards practitioners in consumer behavior, urban development, and environmental economics.