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Welfare Comparisons, Economies of Scale and Equivalence Scale in Time Use

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  • Hélène Couprie
  • Gaëlle Ferrant

Abstract

How do within-couples' time use interactions generate welfare in the family? In this paper we model economies of scale in time use. Following Browning et al. [2013], we allow intra-household bargaining power to affect the distribution of welfare gains in the family. We estimate the model by means of the UK Time Use Survey (2000). Results suggest that two singles living apart need about 2h15 more spare time a day to achieve the same utility level as when living in a couple. A single woman requires on average 55% of a couple's time resources to be as well-off as when she lived in a couple. The time-poverty threshold is on average 15 hours per individual each day.

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  • Hélène Couprie & Gaëlle Ferrant, 2015. "Welfare Comparisons, Economies of Scale and Equivalence Scale in Time Use," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 117-118, pages 185-210.
    • Handle: RePEc:adr:anecst:y:2015:i:117-118:p:185-210
    DOI: 10.15609/annaeconstat2009.117-118.185
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    Cited by:

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    2. François Gardes, 2019. "The Estimation of Price Elasticities and the Value of Time in a Domestic Production Framework: an Application using French Micro-Data," Post-Print hal-01478052, HAL.
    3. Donni, Olivier & Molina, José Alberto, 2018. "Household Collective Models: Three Decades of Theoretical Contributions and Empirical Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 11915, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Pierre-André Chiappori & José Alberto Molina, 2019. "The intra-spousal balance of power within the family: cross-cultural evidence," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 983, Boston College Department of Economics.
    5. Hélène Le Forner, 2023. "Parents' Separation: What is the Effect on Parents' and Children's Time Investments?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 85(4), pages 718-754, August.
    6. Steven F. Koch, 2023. "Basic Needs (in)Security and Subjective Equivalence Scales," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 723-757, October.
    7. Vela Espiago, Santiago, 2023. "Diferencias intrafamiliares en la oferta de trabajo: evidencia empírica para el caso de Reino Unido [Intrahousehold labor supply differences: Empirical evidence for the UK]," MPRA Paper 117342, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Hamermesh, Daniel S. & Myck, Michal & Oczkowska, Monika, 2021. "Widows' Time, Time Stress and Happiness: Adjusting to Loss," IZA Discussion Papers 14343, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Melanie Borah, 2020. "Estimating Extended Income Equivalence Scales from Income Satisfaction and Time Use Data," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 687-718, June.

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