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Abstract
The need for more comprehensive development models to capture the behavioural
dynamics of peasants in subsistence economies was emphaiszed at the
1976 IAAE Conference (Deaton; Mbithi; and Shapiro). This emphasis is
consistent with Polanyi's claim that as a social being, man acts to "safeguard his
social standing, his social claims, [and] his social assets" (p. 46). From this
perspective, Deaton posited a general model of satisfaction maximization and
illustrated the policy significance of the hypothesized behavioural relationships.
The purpose of this paper is to extend the above thinking by: (1) presenting a
conceptual framework of essential relationships for a satisfaction maximization
model by drawing on three bodies of thought--economic anthropology, adoptiondiffusion
(sociology), and production economics; (2) analyzing selected interrelationships;
and (3) discussing the significance and implications of the model
for economic development.