Changing Tastes

Changes in tastes (and preferences and values) are neglected in much of economic analysis, but they are the key to many aspects of human behaviour: why tastes for food vary so much across regions; why attitudes toward 'being on the dole' are so different from what they were in the past; why black males in the United States are 5 to 10 times more likely to be murdered than white males. Using a wide range of examples, this book raises fundamental questions about the foundations of economic analysis and offers provocative suggestions about the social and institutional arrangements that lead to a high quality of life.