Empirical tests of status consumption : evidence from women's cosmetics

Nearly all applied work in consumer demand assumes the absence of status consumption. The validity of this assumption has not been supported through empirical inquiry which confirms the unimportance of status motivations in consumer behavior. However, it is feasible to conduct tests which differentiate between status-motivated behavior and consumer purchasing in which no status motivations are present. This paper provides such a test, which is based on the fact that social visibility is ordinarily necessary for a good to serve as a status symbol. We investigate brand buying among four cosmetics products, and find, as hypothesized, that more "status" is purchased with the more socially visible products. Specifically, we find that visible goods have a lower price-quality correlation and a pattern of brand buying favoring higher-priced brands. We also investigate differing degrees of status-consumption by income, education, race, and urban/suburban dwelling. Our results provide strong support for the existence of status-consumption and are not consistent with theories in which no status-consumption is occurring.gender differences;status;consumption

An analysis of material consumption culture in the Muslim world

In this paper, we examine the notion of material consumption culture in Islamic societies. We differentiate between institutionalised religion and religion as culture. We contest the Orientalist portrayal of Islam as a fanatic ideology opposed to Western Modernity’s features of secularism, individualism, and pluralism. With reference to the Qur’anic text, we discuss that such qualities are embedded with Islam. We do not interpret the Qur’an from a theological perspective; rather, we seek to demonstrate the possibilities of its multiple interpretations. We argue that, in their everyday life consumption practices, Muslims (re)interpret religious guidelines in different ways and refer to Islam, as a transcendental set of guidelines, to make better sense of their cultural practices in different ways. We summarise our discussion by highlighting the importance of analysing the culture of consumption from the lens of insiders and offer directions for future research

Зміни в складі населення Донбасу в 1920-1926 рр.

У статті на основі вивчення літератури та джерел досліджуються зміни в складі населення Донбасу в 1920-1926 рр. Особливу увагу приділено аналізу даних переписів 1920, 1923, 1926 рр. Показано вплив політичних чинників на зміни чисельності населення, природний та механічний приріст.In article consider the Donbas population changes in 1920-1926 years, in his storage quantity and other. Shown changes dynamics quantity of population in 1920, 1923, 1926 years. The conclusions on the nature of influence of political factoris into changes quantity of population, natural and mechanical increase