Marriage and the Economy: Theory and Evidence from Advanced Industrial Societies

by Shoshana A. Grossbard (Editor), Jacob Mincer (Foreword by)

Overview

This book examines the impact of marriage on labor force participation, productivity at work, savings, government programs, and many other aspects of the economy. Lawmakers, legal scholars, sociologists, psychologists, spiritual leaders and all concerned with threats to the institution of marriage and the values that it embodies benefit from this reexamination of a basic Western institution via the lens of professional economists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521891431
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/28/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	374
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

1. Marriage and the economy Shoshana Grossbard-Shechtman; Part I. The Economics of Marriage and Divorce: 2. The economics of marriage and household formation Michael Brien and Michelle Sheran; 3. The economics of divorce Evelyn L. Lehrer; 4. The effects of public policy Leslie Whittington and James Alm; Part II. Effects of Marriage on Income Uses: 5. Control over money in marriage Frances Woolley; 6. Marriage, assets, and savings Joseph Lupton and James Smith; 7. The economics of child support Andrea Beller and John Graham; 8. Marriage prospects and welfare use John Fitzgerald; Part III. Effects of Marriage on Time Uses: 9. Marriage, household production and earnings Joni Hersch; 10. Marriage and work for pay Shoshana Grossbard-Shechtman and Shoshana Neuman; 11. Marriage, work for pay, and child care Rachel Connelly and Jean Kimmel; 12. Marriage and home-based paid employment Elizabeth Field-Hendrey and Linda Edwards; Part IV. Marriage and the Macro Economy: 13. Married households and gross household product Duncan Ironmonger and Faye Soupourmas; 14. Marriage, parental investment, and the macroeconomy Shirley Burggraf.

Editorial Reviews

From the foreword by Jacob Mincer, Columbia University: "Marriage and the Economy is the latest sampling of research currently conducted by the second and the third generation of New Household Economy analysts. Focus on determinants and consequences of marriage is timely, especially as, in historical perspective, we have moved from the extended family to the nuclear and now the subnuclear (single-parent, or just single) household. Readers will be more than compensated by the rich and stimulating work in this book."

"Only in recent years has the household economy finally become a major field of investigation within economics. In the forefront of this booming research movement have been the editor Shoshana Grossbard-Shechtman and the authors of the various chapters in this volume. The studies reported on here show how the tools of economic analysis can be applied to the intertwined materialistic and non-materialistic ends that people seek from marriage, and to the efficiency and equity of the outcomes generated as actual or prospective spouses maneuver between the monetized economy of the outer world and the non-monetized economy within marriage." Jack Hirshleifer, University of California, Los Angeles

"This book presents fourteen essays by experienced economists plus an introduction by a distinguished worker in the area, Jacob Mincer. They survey most aspects of this interesting and expanding field." Clive Granger, University of California, San Diego

"In general this book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of economic theories employed in studies of marriage and divorce and the empirical results emerging from this field of research. The largely non-technical presentations should be accessible to those without the skills of a highly specialized economist. This may be the greatest benefit of the book: its potential contribution to increasing general awareness and knowledge concerning issues related to marriage and divorce." - Feminist Economics Kristian Bolin, Centre for Health Economics, Lund University

From the Publisher