ABSTRACT

It appears that in a society undergoing economic change in which a wider range of new and attractive goods is presented to the consumer, the division of responsibility for household expenditure become less definitely apportioned between spouses especially if their incomes increase. Societies in which there are cultural constraints to growth in the level of consumption, have, under condition of economic development and rising incomes, increased funds for savings. The study of the economy of the Lower Volta does not support this contention, where it has been shown that a high propensity to consume is certainly not a phenomenon of rural economic growth though it may be a feature of urban life. The most urgent aspiration is for future security and this becomes stronger as economic change threatens the stability of traditional life. In economic decision making the need for security takes precedence over the desire to increase the level of consumption.