نظريات الاستهلاك ... Consumption Theories

يتحدث هذا المقطع عن نظريات الاستهلاك الأربعة ... نظرية الدخل المطلق، ونظرية الدخل النسبي، ونظرية الدخل الدائم، ونظرية دورة الحياة ... Consumption Theories ... Absoloute Income Hypothesis, Relative Income Hypothesis, Permanent Income Hypothesis and Life - Cycle Hypothesis


Consumption theories refer to a set of economic theories that explain how and why people consume goods and services. These theories attempt to understand the behavior of consumers in terms of their decision-making processes and factors that influence their decisions.

One of the earliest theories of consumption was the classical theory, which proposed that people consume based on their income level, and that their savings are a function of their income. However, this theory could not explain the observed changes in consumption patterns during economic recessions and expansions.

The Keynesian theory, named after economist John Maynard Keynes, suggested that consumption is a function of disposable income, and that people consume more when they have more disposable income. This theory introduced the concept of the marginal propensity to consume (MPC), which is the proportion of an increase in income that is consumed.

Another consumption theory is the life-cycle hypothesis, which posits that people aim to smooth out their consumption patterns over their lifetime. This theory suggests that people save during their working years and consume during their retirement years, when their income is lower.

The permanent income hypothesis, on the other hand, proposes that people's consumption decisions are based on their expectations of long-term income rather than their current income. This theory suggests that people save during high-income years and spend during low-income years, based on their expectations of future income.

Overall, consumption theories provide insights into how people make decisions about their spending patterns and how these patterns change over time. These theories have important implications for businesses and policymakers, as they influence how products and services are marketed and how government policies are designed to stimulate or regulate consumer spending.