New Middle-Class Consumers in Rising Powers: Responsible Consumption and Private Standards

Abstract

In this paper, we explore how the unprecedented expansion of new middle-class consumers in Rising Powers is likely to influence the extent and meaning of responsible consumption through private standards. We find that these middle-class consumers are likely to engage in discretionary spending, even at relatively low levels of income. Unfortunately, existing research does not allow us to predict the extent to which this discretionary spending will be used for responsible consumption. We develop a simple matrix to explore where and when private standards are more likely to stimulate responsible consumption effectively, and we put forward some hypotheses for future research.

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Erratum

Notes

¹ We use the definition of “Rising Powers” as set out in the Introduction to this special issue, namely as “the emerging economies, in particular, but not least, China, India and Brazil, whose economic dynamism has begun to transform the contours of the global economy”.

² In many developing countries, income is difficult to establish for poor households, so consumption or expenditures are used as proxy variables.

³ All US dollar values cited here are in Purchasing Power Parity.

This article was originally published with errors to the pagination. This version has been corrected. Please see Erratum (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2014.924314)