The idea to publish a Handbook of Economic Psychology came up as a natural consequence of a discussion concerning appropriate reading material for courses in economic psychology. The discussion took place a few years ago in the Department of Economic Psychology at Tilburg University, The Netherlands. It was noted that there was a surprising lack of collections of pertinent readings, to say nothing about the lack of textbooks in the English language. So the present editors, who had been involved in the discussion, decided to start working on a Handbook. The situation has changed quite a lot since then. There are now a number of books, internationally available in the English language, in economic psy chology or behavioral economics. The interest in this field of study is expanding quite impressively. The Journal of Economic Psychology is now (1988) in its ninth volume and many other journals are publishing articles in the field. The application of psychological theories and methods to economic prob lems or the study of economic experiences and behavior is variously referred to as economic psychology or behavioral economics. While in principle we do not want to overdo the differences between the two, we have a feeling that economic psychology has a slightly stronger flavor of psychology than behavioral economics which in its turn seems to be closer to economics. Psychologists tend to feel more at home in economic psychology, while economists seem to favor behavioral economics.

Written by two leading psychologists, this timely publication is the only up-to-date, English-language textbook on economic psychology. Focused on application, it is an essential resource for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate courses on economic psychology, behavioural economics and social psychology, in both business and psychology departments.

A comprehensive overview of contemporary economic psychology Economic Psychology presents an accessible overview of contemporary economic psychology. The science of economic mental life and behavior is increasingly relevant as people are expected to take more responsibility for their household and personal economic decisions. The text will, in addition to reviewing current knowledge on each topic presented, consider the practical and policy implications for supporting economic decision making. Economic Psychology examines the central aspects of adult decision making in everyday life and includes the theories of economic decision making based on risk, value and affect, and theories of intertemporal choice. The text reviews the nature and behavioral consequences of economic mental representations about such things as material possessions, money and the economy. The editor Robert Ranyard—a noted expert on economic psychology—presents a life-span developmental approach, from childhood to old age. He also reviews the important societal issues such as charitable giving and economic sustainability. This vital resource: Reviews the economic psychology in everyday life including financial behaviour such as saving and tax-paying and matters such as entrepreneurial activity Offers an introduction to the field and traces the emergence of the discipline, from Adam Smith to George Katona and Herbert Simon Includes information on societal issues such as charitable giving and pro-environmental behaviour Considers broader perspectives on economic psychology: life-span psychological development from childhood to old age Written for students of psychology, Economic Psychology reviews the most important information on contemporary economic psychology with a focus on individual and household economic decision making, ranging widely across financial matters such as borrowing and saving, and economic activities such as buying, trading, and working.

Work Psychology, the second volume of the Handbook of Work and Organizational Psychology, concentrates on issues related to the direct relationship between the worker and the organization and on his or her task or function. This could be termed the classical tradition of work psychology, including human factors, psychology and ergonomics. This volume provides a comprehensive update on new issues and studies in this core area. Subjects like safety, occupational stress, workload and absenteeism due to sickness are tackled. Chapters discuss particular types of workers on whom psychologists have focused attention more recently: the older worker, the unemployed, and the foreign worker. Moving away somewhat from the 'micro-world' of the individual worker, models of human economic behaviour and the development of social indicator systems are also explored.

Economic behavior is explored from a psychological perspective by both, prominent economic psychologists with a long tradition in studying economic problems as well as economists who are open and interested in the psychological aspects of economic behavior. The contributions discuss the prospects and difficulties of this dialogue between psychology and economics and survey some important areas of research where such an interdisciplinary approach has proved to be successful. The text can also be used to introduce psychology to economists in order to give them an idea how to analyze economic problems from a psychological perspective. It also indicates many urgent and exciting research topics awaiting eager scholars to carry on the dialogue.

From childhood through to adulthood, retirement and finally death, The Economic Psychology of Everyday Life uniquely explores the economic problems all individuals have to solve across the course of their lives. Webley, Burgoyne, Lea and Young begin by introducing the concept of economic behaviour and its study. They then examine the main economic issues faced at each life stage, including: * the impact of advertising on children * buying a first house and setting up home * changing family roles and gender-linked inequality * redundancy and unemployment * coping on a pension * obituaries, wills and inheritance. Finally they draw together the commonalties of economic problems across the lifespan, discuss generational and cultural changes in economic behaviour, and examine the significance of other, non-economic constraints, upon individuals. The Economic Psychology of Everyday Life provides a much-needed comprehensive and accessible guide to economic psychology which will be of great interest to researchers and students.

The Encyclopedia of Consumer Culture is the first reference work to outline the parameters of consumer culture and provide a critical, scholarly resource on consumption and consumerism.

At a time when both scholars and the public demand explanations and answers to key economic problems that conventional approaches have failed to resolve, this groundbreaking handbook of original works by leading behavioral economists offers the first comprehensive articulation of behavioral economics theory. Borrowing from the findings of psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, legal scholars, and biologists, among others, behavioral economists find that intelligent individuals often tend not to behave as effectively or efficiently in their economic decisions as long held by conventional wisdom. The manner in which individuals actually do behave critically depends on psychological, institutional, cultural, and even biological considerations. "Handbook of Contemporary Behavioral Economics" includes coverage of such critical areas as the Economic Agent, Context and Modeling, Decision Making, Experiments and Implications, Labor Issues, Household and Family Issues, Life and Death, Taxation, Ethical Investment and Tipping, and Behavioral Law and Macroeconomics. Each contribution includes an extensive bibliography.

Here is an informative overview of economic psychology as applied to the study of travel and tourism. Economic psychology provides evidence about the behavior of consumers that is instrumental for the development of economic theory as well as for marketing, consumer policy, and research on travel and tourism. Economic Psychology of Travel and Tourism stimulates new approaches to the study of travel and tourism. Chapters contain empirical studies and explore conceptual and theoretical perspectives of the sociopsychological mechanisms that underlie travel and tourism demand and the economics of destinations. This book is a helpful resource for travel and marketing professionals and advanced students of tourism. These individuals often have a good background in psychology and in marketing, but little, if any, knowledge on how the two fields are linked. Economic Psychology of Travel and Tourism helps them see and understand the broader economic psychological issues that impact both the supply and demand sides of the travel and tourism economy. Economic Psychology of Travel and Tourism discusses such issues as corporate identity, promotion/advertising, information processing, meaning structure, and consumer behavior, research, and demand. Specific chapters in this book include: an investigation of the relationship between the way tourists think to realize their dreams and the tourist industry's potential to make those dreams come true an examination of current literature related to 4 prevalent topical areas associated with consumer behavior in recreational and touristic contexts an exploratory study to determine the extent to which friends and/or relatives influence travel decisionmaking processes beyond the role of information provider the development of a model of decisionmaking associated with long-term, complex purchase processes effects of tour brochures with experiential information a study of promotion and demand in international tourism Economic Psychology of Travel and Tourism clarifies for readers applications of psychological theories and methods to the study of travel and tourism phenomena, helping them recognize areas of economic and social psychology that can help them deal more effectively with fundamental issues underlying the travel and tourism economy.

Attitudes and methods derived from the hard sciences have become increasingly commonplace in the human and social sciences. Whilst this 'scientifization' process has undoubtedly fostered the growth of knowledge within history and economics, these are disciplines where verification, as practised in the pure sciences, is not appropriate. This book, first published in 1991, argues constructively for a new interpretation of scientific verification within economics and history.