TITLE:
Rationalizing Inconsistent Definitions of Commodification: A Social Exchange Perspective
AUTHORS:
Jeffrey R. Oliver, Lindon J. Robison
KEYWORDS:
Commodification, Decommodification, Social Exchange, Relational Goods, Defining Commodification
JOURNAL NAME:
Modern Economy,
Vol.8 No.11,
November
16,
2017
ABSTRACT: Commodification is a widely used and inconsistently
defined concept. Inconsistent definitions of commodification, this paper
observes, exist because alternative outcomes and consequences of converting
relational goods into commodities are confused with the definition of
commodification-social exchanges that convert relational goods into commodities.
Distinguishing between alternative outcomes and consequences of commodification
and the definition of commodification allows us to rationalize inconsistent
definitions of commodification. In rationalizing inconsistent definitions of
commodification, it is important to distinguish between commodities (goods valued
for their ability to satisfy physical needs) and relational goods (goods valued
at least in part for their connections to people which enables them to satisfy
socio-emotional needs). The process of commodification is described as
relocating relational goods from the humanistic sphere and relocating them in
the commodity sphere.