Thorstein Veblen's theory of conspicuous consumption is dated.

FORBES: Rationalizing Wealth

This guide and the related website are intended as a tool kit to help teachers and trainers, NGOs and youth groups to help raise awareness of Sustainable Consumption and empower youth to put theory into practice.

UNESCO: UK National Commission for UNESCO :: Education materials from UNESCO and partner organisations

Economist and social critic Thorstein Veblen took a crack at it in The Theory of the Leisure Class, the 1899 classic that wryly posited the theory of "conspicuous consumption, " his phrase for keeping up with the Joneses.

FORBES: In Search of the Buy Button

Of course there's always Thorstein Veblen's explanation: "conspicuous consumption, " propounded in his 1899 classic, The Theory of the Leisure Class.

FORBES: Money, Happiness And The Pursuit Of Both

So if the government enacts a once-off tax rebate, theory would lead one to expect that people would spread increased consumption over time, rather than go out and binge.

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