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There has been concern about the dramatic growth in obesity seen in developed countries. This paper advances the view that a neoclassical interpretation of weight growth that relies on changing incentives does surprisingly well in explaining the observed trends, without resorting to psychological, genetic, or addictive models.

Reprinted with permission from American Economic Review, Vol. 95, No. 2, May 2005, pp. 253-257. Copyright © 2005 American Economic Association.

Originally published in: American Economic Review, Vol. 95, No. 2, May 2005, pp. 253-257.

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