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On the Causes and Consequences of Divorce

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Author Info
Alessandro Balestrino ()
Cinzia Ciardi
Claudio Mammini ()

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Abstract

In most Western economies, the flourishing of the Welfare State has coincided with a decline of the role of the family: divorce has been introduced, and the number of marriages has decreased. We suggest that a taboo against divorce was part of the informal safety net in a period when social protection was provided by the family. Once the State started offering suitable alternatives, the taboo was no longer expedient, and was dropped. For the same reasons, marriage has become less popular. We further notice that divorce is an extremely costly process, and once allowed it may act as an independent reason for the reduction of the number of marriages. This latter result is especially evident under the assumption that agents subjectively evaluate the probability of facing a divorce using an availability heuristic.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by CESifo Group Munich in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number CESifo Working Paper No. 2347.

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Date of creation: 2008
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_2347

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Related research
Keywords: divorce; marriage; availability heuristic;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Smith, Ian, 1997. "Explaining the Growth of Divorce in Great Britain," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 44(5), pages 519-44, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Kai Konrad & Kjell Lommerud, 1992. "Non Cooperative Families," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich.
  3. Konrad, Kai A & Lommerud, Kjell Erik, 1995. " Family Policy with Non-cooperative Families," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 97(4), pages 581-601, December.
  4. John A. List, 2004. "Neoclassical Theory Versus Prospect Theory: Evidence from the Marketplace," Framed Field Experiments 0047, The Field Experiments Website. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Dan Anderberg & Alessandro Balestrino, 2007. "Non-cooperative Households and the Size and Composition of Public Expenditure," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 61-81, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Cameron, Samuel, 2003. "The economic model of divorce: the neglected role of search and specific capital formation," The Journal of Socio-Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 303-316, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Alessandro Balestrino & Cinzia Ciardi, 2007. "Social Norms, Cognitive Dissonance and the Timing of Marriage," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Martin Browning & P.A. Chiappori, 1996. "Efficient Intra-Household Allocations - A General Characterization and Empirical Tests," Discussion Papers 96-10, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    Other versions:
  9. Shelly Lundberg & Robert A. Pollak, 2001. "Efficiency in Marriage," NBER Working Papers 8642, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Akerlof, George A, 1980. "A Theory of Social Custom, of Which Unemployment May be One Consequence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 94(4), pages 749-75, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  11. Dan Anderberg, 2007. "Marriage, Divorce and Reciprocity-based Cooperation," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 109(1), pages 25-47, 03. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Chiappori, Pierre-Andre, 1988. "Rational Household Labor Supply," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 56(1), pages 63-90, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Apps, Patricia & Rees, Ray, 1999. "On the taxation of trade within and between households," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 241-263, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Imran Rasul, 2006. "Marriage Markets and Divorce Laws," Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 30-69, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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This page was last updated on 2009-12-14.

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