Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 3, 2023

The Invisibility and Remodeling of the Macro Structure: An Analytical Framework Based on Consumption

(Abstract)

Zhu Di

In the new development stage, consumption serves as a growing driving force for the economy, and the impact of the macro-external environment upon consumption behavior is becoming more significant. Different disciplines are exploring measures to expand consumption and routes to a more sustainable lifestyle. However, traditional research is constrained by paradigms such as socio-economic status and attitude-behavior, resulting in inadequate systemic consideration of the impact of the macro-external environment. The “dual structure” framework emphasizes that the macro-external environment imposes structural constraints on consumption: material provisions and cultural conventions shared by society, influence consumption behavior via multiple mechanisms. As a product of a complex structure, consumption can be understood in terms of provision-convention-consumption dynamics. Theoretical and empirical analyses point to an action framework composed of multi-agent and multi-practice synergy, emphasizing that the transformation of consumption should be motivated by facilitating the macro-external environment. Remodeling the macro-structural analysis of consumption can be an important stimulus to broadening the scope of empirical research on consumption sociology and promoting high-quality development.