Coalitions, Cliques and Consumption Behaviour of the Rich in a Poor Country Sustainability of Consumption

Sociological perspectives on consumption, with an embedded notion of economy, view demand for goods is a by product of social forces. Theorists within this discipline direct attention to social structure and culture, which influence demands and shape consumption patterns. New economic sociology explicitly puts emphasis on interpersonal effects on consumer demand. Granovetter and Soong argue that what one buys is shaped by his interaction that takes place within and between networks. This paper sheds more lights on consumption as interaction process. It includes network obligations, participation in social life and power as consumption goals. Based upon findings of a study on consumption and investment behaviour of the rich in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it advances the argument that consumption is important for the exercise of power and competition for resources and power. The rich in Dhaka, mainly political-bureaucratic- and business elites, direct their consumption and investments at forming coalitions, cliques, or ties with significant others, as wide as possible. Luxury consumption provides them connections with dispersed social networks, which they use for access to resources. They also compete for resources and power, which may take pervasive forms and have negative impacts on social and natural environment.