The answers to these and many other questions about people's consumption patterns, Becker argues, have to do with the way preferences and values are shaped. Although these are central topics of social behavior, they have never been addressed in a systematic and analytical way. Becker applies the tools of modern economic analysis to just this topic, one that economists have traditionally left out of their models for rational choice.

A systematic and substantial study of Australian cultural tastes, preferences and activities, first published in 1999.

French cuisine is such a staple in our understanding of fine food that we forget the accidents of history that led to its creation. Accounting for Taste brings these "accidents" to the surface, illuminating the magic of French cuisine and the mystery behind its historical development. Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson explains how the food of France became French cuisine. This momentous culinary journey begins with Ancien Régime cookbooks and ends with twenty-first-century cooking programs. It takes us from Carême, the "inventor" of modern French cuisine in the early nineteenth century, to top chefs today, such as Daniel Boulud and Jacques Pépin. Not a history of French cuisine, Accounting for Taste focuses on the people, places, and institutions that have made this cuisine what it is today: a privileged vehicle for national identity, a model of cultural ascendancy, and a pivotal site where practice and performance intersect. With sources as various as the novels of Balzac and Proust, interviews with contemporary chefs such as David Bouley and Charlie Trotter, and the film Babette's Feast, Ferguson maps the cultural field that structures culinary affairs in France and then exports its crucial ingredients. What's more, well beyond food, the intricate connections between cuisine and country, between local practice and national identity, illuminate the concept of culture itself. To Brillat-Savarin's famous dictum—"Animals fill themselves, people eat, intelligent people alone know how to eat"—Priscilla Ferguson adds, and Accounting for Taste shows, how the truly intelligent also know why they eat the way they do. “Parkhurst Ferguson has her nose in the right place, and an infectious lust for her subject that makes this trawl through the history and cultural significance of French food—from French Revolution to Babette’s Feast via Balzac’s suppers and Proust’s madeleines—a satisfying meal of varied courses.”—Ian Kelly, Times (UK)

Author's abstract: Although it is self-evident that people care about music, we don’t know how they make sense of their taste in it. In this study, I will explore how individuals explain their taste in music. I will specifically be focusing on the genre of Irish traditional music (ITM). One way to explore how people account for their taste in this genre is through a qualitative content analysis of online comments. I hope to demonstrate the vocabulary of motives for music preference, by focusing on how individuals account for their taste in Irish traditional music online. Also, this study will help show the role that culture plays in musical tastes by discovering whether their vocabulary includes references to Irish identity. I suspect that Irish American identity will come up as a common account for listening to this genre. The findings contribute to the theory of symbolic ethnicity (Gans 1959) by demonstrating the role it plays in the process of identity construction. My research questions are: How do people account for listening to Irish traditional music? Is there a connection between symbolic ethnicity and taste in music? I will explore these questions by examining internet comments through a qualitative content analysis.

PART IV Governance, Indicators, and Engagement in the Cultural Sector13. Creative Pique: On Governance and Engagement in the Cultural Sector; 14. Governance of Culture: Words of Caution; 15. Vers des indicateurs culturels élargis? Justificatifs des politiques culturelles et indicateurs de performance au Québec et en Europe; 16. Cultural Indicators and Benchmarks in Community Indicator Projects; Conclusion; Reflections on the Cultural and Political Implications of Cultural Citizenship; Annex; Back to the Future: The Colloquium in Context: The Democratization of Culture and Cultural Democracy.

The answers to these and many other questions about people's consumption patterns, Becker argues, have to do with the way preferences and values are shaped. Although these are central topics of social behavior, they have never been addressed in a systematic and analytical way. Becker applies the tools of modern economic analysis to just this topic, one that economists have traditionally left out of their models for rational choice.