Symbolic consumption is assessed as an evolution of previously identified conspicuous consumption, after this has undergone a “de-materialization” that is socially, as much as ecologically, driven. As Veblen observed, the shift of wealth towards new forms of physical and financial capital...

The scepticism of economists—mainstream and heterodox—towards "new economy" ideas goes beyond the indignation of long-established traditions being told to rewrite their basic rules. With its emphasis on trade through interand intra-corporate networks, the "new economy" presents a model of...