Budgetary Units: A Weberian Approach to Consumption

Established consumption theory relies heavily on application of individualistic frames and market models of behavior. A framework built around consumption-oriented groups would facilitate progress toward a more general theory of consumption. This article reintroduces and extends Weber''s budgetary unit concept to address this gap, correcting key problems dogging the consumption literature. The budgetary unit concept ((1)) offers a new framework for theorizing and better accounting for observed consumption patterns, ((2)) reveals how consumption units have organizational logics, preferences, strengths, and vulnerabilities that are consequentially distinct from market logic of production and profit, and ((3)) focuses attention on social processes and features enabling theorization of general social patterns of consumption across diverse contexts. This article highlights the explanatory power and broad applicability of Weber''s budgetary unit approach using the conventionally dissimilar cases of Russian organized crime, Catholic nuns, immigrant remittances, and low-income families'' child support.