Bursztyn, Leonardo
[Author]
;
Ferman, Bruno
[Other];
Rao, Gautam
[Other];
Kanz, Martin
[Other];
Fiorin, Stefano
[Other]National Bureau of Economic Research
Published:
Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic Research, May 2017
Published in:NBER working paper series ; no. w23414
Extent:
1 Online-Ressource
Language:
English
DOI:
10.3386/w23414
Identifier:
Reproduction note:
Hardcopy version available to institutional subscribers
Origination:
Footnote:
Mode of access: World Wide Web
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Description:
This paper provides novel field-experimental evidence on status goods. We work with an Indonesian bank that markets platinum credit cards to high-income customers. In a first experiment, we show that demand for the platinum card greatly exceeds demand for a nondescript control product with identical benefits, suggesting demand for the pure status aspect of the card. Transaction data reveal that platinum cards are more likely to be used in social contexts, implying social image motivations. Combining price variation with information on the use of the card sheds light on the magnitude of the demand for social status. In a second experiment, we provide evidence of positional externalities from the consumption of these status goods. The final experiment shows that increasing self-esteem causally reduces demand for status goods. We infer that part of the demand for status is psychological in nature, and that social image is a substitute for self-image