Choice, Behavioural Economics and Addiction is about the theory, data, and applied implications of choice-based models of substance use and addiction. The distinction between substance use and addiction is important, because many individuals use substances but are not also addicted to them. The behavioural economic perspective has made contributions to the analysis of both of these phenomena and, while the major focus of the book is on theories of addiction, it is necessary also to consider the behavioural economic account of substance use in order to place the theories in their proper context and provide full coverage of the contribution of behavioural economics to this field of study.
The book discusses the four major theories of addiction that have been developed in the area of economic science/behavioural economics. They are:
• hyperbolic discounting
• melioration
• relative addiction
• rational addiction
The main objective of the book is to popularise these ideas among addiction researchers, academics and practitioners. The specific aims are to articulate the shared and distinctive elements of these four theories, to present and discuss the latest empirical work on substance abuse and addiction that is being conducted in this area, and to articulate a range of applied implications of this body of work for clinical, public health and public policy initiatives.
The book is based on an invitation-only conference entitled, Choice, Behavioural Economics and Addiction: Theory, Evidence and Applications held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, March 30 - April 1, 2001. The conference was attended by prominent scientists and scholars, representing a range of disciplines concerned with theories of addiction and their consequences for policy and practice. The papers in the book are based on the papers given at the above conference, together with commentaries by distinguished experts and, in many cases, replies to these comments by the presenters.

Vuchinich, Rudy E. (Rudolph Eugene), 1949-; Heather, Nick, 1938-

Heather, Nick; Vuchinich, Rudy E.

Woodhead Publishing Ltd

John Murray Press

Focal Press

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

Amsterdam, Boston, Netherlands, 2003

November 13, 2003

Proceedings of a conference entitled, "Choice, Behavioral Economics, and Addiction: Theory, Evidence, and Applications," held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, on March 15-17, 2002.
Main sponsor of the conference: National Insitute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in the USA, with contributions from the U.K. Society for the Study of Addiction, Elsevier Science Limited, the University of Alabama's Lister Hill Center for HealthPolicy and its Center for Health Promotion.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

Proceedings of a conference entitled, "Choice, Behavioural Economics, and Addiction: Theory, Evidence, and Applications," held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, on March 15-17, 2002.
Main sponsor of the conference: National Insitute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in the USA, with contributions from the U.K. Society for the Study of Addiction, Elsevier Science Limited, the University of Alabama's Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and its Center for Health Promotion.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

xix,438p. : 25 cm
Proceedings of a conference entitled, "Choice, Behavioral Economics, and Addiction: Theory, Evidence, and Applications," held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA, on March 15-17, 2002
Main sponsor of the conference: National Insitute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in the USA, with contributions from the U.K. Society for the Study of Addiction, Elsevier Science Limited, the University of Alabama's Lister Hill Center for HealthPolicy and its Center for Health Promotion
Includes bibliographical references and index

The key challenge for any theory of addiction is to explain why an individual would continue a behaviour pattern of excessive consumption when that pattern produces a variety of sometimes extremely negative consequences of which he or she is aware.

2023-06-28