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Material vs. spiritual--A novel economics perspective on marriage and divorce

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  • Liu, Xuemei

Abstract

By dividing household-produced commodities into material and spiritual goods, and incorporating Maslow's psychological theory of motivation into this economic framework, I explore why individuals with different preferences choose different mates, and how the drive to enter marriage has changed as society becomes more developed. I then study the optimal effort for individuals to devote to marriage. I argue that divorce is mainly caused by the reduction of effort that couples devote to marriage, which might be a rational decision in response to changes in preferences, household productivity, and the opportunity cost of effort.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Xuemei, 2008. "Material vs. spiritual--A novel economics perspective on marriage and divorce," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 2330-2339, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:37:y:2008:i:6:p:2330-2339
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    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Xuemei, 2010. "Will the possibility of divorce discourage marriage-specific investment?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 251-257, April.

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