This paper applies the theory of relational contracts to a model in which a couple decides whether to marry or cohabit … the legal costs of divorce, on the interrelationships among the decisions on marriage, fertility and divorce …

This paper presents an inter-temporal model of individual behavior with uncertainty about marriage and divorce and … which accommodates the possible presence of economies or diseconomies of scale from marriage. We show that a scenario of … higher marriage rates and higher divorce rates will be associated with higher savings rates in the presence of economies of …

possible intellectual influences on Becker's theory of marriage, compares Becker's research on marriage with that of some …This paper describes Gary Becker's theoretical models of marriage. At the micro-level, these are all rational choice … models. At the market level, Becker offers two major types of models: partial equilibrium models based on Price Theory as …

suitable alternatives, the taboo was no longer expedient, and was dropped. For the same reasons, marriage has become less …

This paper explores the role of marriage when markets are incomplete so that individuals cannot diversify their … love. Is love more important to a lasting marriage than economic compatibility? To answer this question, I develop a simple … model where rational individuals meet, enjoy the economic and non-pecuniary benefits of marriage (i.e., love), and then must …

This paper bridges two distinct areas of inquiry: the economic theory of the family and behavioral research on time …-specific capital over time. At any given point in time, the gains to continued marriage depend on the accumulated stock of this capital …, sophisticated couples – but not naive ones – may choose to enter marriage on terms which make divorce more costly to obtain. Third …

Neither marriage nor a legally enforceable contract serves any useful purpose if the parties have access to a perfect … enforceable contract. Separate-property marriage may reduce and community-property marriage actually eliminate inefficiency, but …

We present a theory on migration of dual-earner couples, and test it in the context of international migration. Our … theory. Primary earners in couples are more strongly self-selected with respect to their income than singles, a novel result …