Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/80432 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
cege Discussion Papers No. 170
Publisher: 
University of Göttingen, Center for European, Governance and Economic Development Research (cege), Göttingen
Abstract: 
This paper considers an overlapping generations model of economic growth populated by two types of individuals. Competitive types compare future consumption (i.e. wealth) with the mean. Self-sufficient types derive utility simply from their own consumption and do not compare themselves with others. I derive a condition under which the utility (happiness) of both types increases when the economy is populated by a larger share of competitive types. In the long-run the condition is always fulfilled when the economy is capable of economic growth. The reason for this phenomenon is that competitive types generate higher savings and thus higher aggregate capital stock and income per capita, which raises utility of both types. I show that the result is robust to the consideration of endogenous work effort and that a sufficiently high share of competitive types in a society can be inevitable for long-run economic growth to exist.
Subjects: 
status preferences
happiness
economic growth
JEL: 
D90
E21
O40
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
483.02 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.