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This research considers social networks in informal insurance and mechanism design issues related to consumption externalities. Chapter 2 examines informal insurance networks. Defining an income-sharing arrangement as a link, I show that pairwise stable networks are regular and the degree depends on the relative value of income. Although the complete network is efficient, either high risk or high risk aversion weakens the incentive to add a link so that full risk sharing is less likely to be pairwise stable at the high level of risk. However, if the group size is large enough, the complete network is always pairwise stable regardless of the income-risk ratio. Additionally, asymmetric network structures may arise for heterogeneous agents. Chapter 3 and 4 consider consumption externalities. In Chapter 3, I develop an efficient allocation mechanism when there are consumption externalities. To implement an efficient outcome, the payment function of an incentive compatible mechanism separately reflects individual agents' valuation as well as the externalities. A seller's perspective leads Chapter 4 by comparing two prevalent selling mechanisms - English auction and posted-price selling. An English auction, of which the price is determined through buyers' competition, yields higher expected revenue under low externalities, whereas a posted-price selling, of which the price is set by the seller, is better for the seller at the high level of externalities.

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Orientadora : Profª. Drª. Adriana Sbicca Fernandes / Co-orientador : Prof. Dr. Flávio de Oliveira Gonçalves / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciencias Sociais Aplicadas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento Ecônomico. Defesa : 23/03/2015 / Inclui referências / Resumo: As teorias mais tradicionais do consumo deixam de captar importantes características acerca do comportamento do consumidor, ao conduzir suas análises considerando o consumidor como um agente isolado e fazer uma relação direta entre consumo e utilidade. Considerando que o consumidor é, antes de tudo, um ser social, as interações com os demais agentes na sociedade possivelmente influenciam as decisões de consumo. As instituições de consumo, i.e. os "sistemas de regras socialmente construídos que geram regularidades nos comportamentos de consumo das pessoas" (Cosgel, 1997, p.2) têm importante impacto na tomada de decisão dos consumidores. Assim, componentes como emulação, imitação e renda relativa podem influenciar na tomada de decisão dos agentes econômicos, assim como afetar suas satisfações. O objetivo desta dissertação é verificar quais são os resultados oriundos da incorporação destes aspectos na análise do consumidor, a partir de três ensaios, utilizando como fonte de informação a Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares de 2002/2003 e 2008/2009. O primeiro ensaio procura realizar a estratificação da sociedade brasileira a partir de padrões de consumo, aplicando uma análise de cluster, dando origem ao Critério Consumo, de modo a analisar as semelhanças e diferenças entre este novo critério e aqueles mais utilizados no Brasil. Foram considerados todos os bens e serviços disponíveis na POF 2008/2009 para compor as cestas de consumo, perfazendo uma base com mais de 55.000 domicílios e 9.200 variáveis. Um importante resultado verificado é que existem classes que se sentem mais insatisfeitas que as classes imediatamente abaixo na hierarquia social do Critério Consumo, mesmo apresentando um nível médio de renda mais elevado. O segundo ensaio procura aprofundar o estudo acerca do Critério Consumo, ao analisar sua evolução no período 2002/2003 a 2008/2009, verificar quais são os bens e serviços que mais contribuem para diferenciar a classe alta da classe baixa - através de uma análise discriminante, e verificar quais são os padrões de gasto com alguns bens e serviços selecionados. Um dos resultados encontrados aponta uma movimentação dos domicílios em direção a padrões de consumo associados a um nível de renda mais baixo. Finalmente, o terceiro ensaio busca analisar dentro da estrutura do Critério Consumo, como algumas características do consumidor evolucionário influenciam o comportamento do consumidor. Primeiramente, o consumidor evolucionário é caracterizado a partir da revisão de literaturas que analisam o comportamento do consumidor de maneira alternativa aquelas mais tradicionais. Posteriormente, um modelo econométrico é construído para verificar se existem componentes de emulação e consumo relativo entre as classes sociais que afetem a satisfação dos domicílios. Os resultados indicam que estes componentes parecem afetar a satisfação dos domicílios, inclusive de maneira mais determinante que o próprio nível de consumo individual. / Abstract: The more traditional theories of consumption fail to capture important characteristics about the consumer behavior, by conducting their analysis considering the consumer as an isolated agent, and relating directly consumption and utility. Considering that consumer is, above all, a social being, the interactions with other agents in society is likely to affect consumption decisions. The consumption institutions, i.e. the "socially constructed systems of rules that generate regularities in people's consumption behavior" (Cosgel, 1997, p.2) have an important impact on consumer's decision. Thus, components of emulation, imitation and relative income may influence the agents' decision make, as well as affect their satisfaction. The objective of this dissertation is to verify what are the outcomes that emerge when these features are incorporated in consumer analysis. Three essays were written, using as information the 2002/2003 and 2008/2009 HBS - Household Budget Surveys (provided by Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). The first essay aims to undertake the Brazilian society stratification based on consumption patterns, applying a cluster analysis, originating the Consumption Criteria, in order to analyze the similarities and differences between this new Criterion and those most used in Brazil. All the goods and services available in 2008/2009 HBS were used to compose the consumption bundles, totaling a data base with more than 55,000 households and 9,200 variables. One important result found is that there are classes that feel more unsatisfied than classes right below in the social hierarchy of Consumption Criteria, even having a higher level of average income. The second essay seeks to deepen the study about the Consumption Criteria, to analyze its evolution in the period of 2002/2003 to 2008/200, verify which are the goods and services that most contribute to differentiate the upper class from the lower class - through a discriminant analysis, and verify what are the spending patterns using some chosen goods and services. One of the results found suggests a movement of households towards consumption patterns associated with a lower level of income. Finally, the third essay aims to analyze, inside the Consumption Criteria, how some characteristics of the evolutionary consumer affect the consumer behavior. First, the evolutionary consumer is characterized from a literature review of works that look for analyze the consumer behavior alternatively than those more traditional approach. Then, an econometric model is constructed in order to verify if there are emulation and relative consumption components between social classes that could affect household's satisfaction. The results suggest that these components seem to affect the households' satisfaction, even stronger than the individual level of consumption.

Cette thèse a pour objectif d'analyser les tentatives conceptuels et méthodologiques déployées par des acteurs du monde académique, médical, industriel et politique pour étudier l'usage des médicaments en Allemagne de l'Ouest entre 1950 et 1980. Elle étudie la « mise en problème » de la consommation comme une menace sociale. Enfin, la thèse décrit les traductions scientifiques qui permettent de faire circuler le concept de consommation de médicaments entre différentes sphères sociales. Au niveau méthodologique cette thèse combine l'histoire des concepts comme l'a suggéré Reinhart Koselleck avec une histoire des technologies (pharmaceutiques). La thèse mobilise les archives de l'entreprise IMS Health Allemagne qui ont pu être exploitées pour la première fois. Au-delà de ce corpus important, un certain nombre d'archives publiques et privées a été exploité. / This thesis examines the conceptual and methodological attempts academics, physicians, industrialists and policymakers used for investigating drug use in West Germany between 1950and 1980. lt studies the "problematization" of consumption as a social threat. Finally, the thesis describes processes of scientific translation that allowed the concept of drug consumption to circulate between different social spheres. Methodologically this thesis relies on Reinhart Koselleck's works on the history of concepts (Begriffsgeschichte), which are then combined with a history of (pharmaceutical) technologies. For the first time, IMS (Medical Statistics lnstitute in West Germany later IMS Health) pharmaceutical market and prescription data for West Germany from 1959 to 1980 could be analyzed in a historical study. Beyond this important body, research was done in several public and private archives.