[1] Though controversial, this theoretical approach has become "one of the standard models in the literature on addictive behavior" in economics,[2] and a variety of extensions and modifications have been developed and published by other authors over the years.
[citation needed] The original theory models addictions as the implementation of a forward-looking consumption plan made under full certainty and perfect information, where the individual is entirely committed toward maximizing utility.
For example, Jonathan Gruber and Botond Köszegi (2001) show that the model's prediction that announced future tax increases should decrease current smoking is consistent with the evidence.
A prominent critic is the philosopher Jon Elster, who in a series of writings has claimed that theories in Becker's framework are conceptually incoherent in their view of preferences, as well as inconsistent with the ambivalence and desire for increased self-regulation that is empirically displayed by many addicts.
[6] The economist Ole Rogeberg has commented that this all "illustrate how absurd choice theories in economics get taken seriously as possibly true explanations and tools for welfare analysis despite being poorly interpreted, empirically unfalsifiable, and based on wildly inaccurate assumptions selectively justified by ad hoc stories.