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On the Demand for Grandchildren: Tied Transfers and the Demonstration Effect

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  • Cox, Donald

    (Department of Economics, Boston College)

  • Stark, Oded

    (University of Bonn)

Abstract

Most private giving between living generations takes the form of "tied" transfers, such as help with housing downpayments. We argue that parents provide help with downpayments in order to encourage the production of grandchildren, and that such a subsidization emanates from the "demonstration effect:" a child's propensity to furnish parents with attention and care can be conditioned by parental example. Parents who desire such transfers in the future have an incentive to make transfers to their own parents in order to instill appropriate preferences in their children. This generates a derived demand for grandchildren since potential grandparents will be treated better by their adult children if the latter have their own children to whom to demonstrate the appropriate behavior. Empirical work, based on waves 1 and 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households, indicates behavior consistent with subsidization of the production of grandchildren and the demonstration effect.

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File URL: http://www.ihs.ac.at/publications/eco/es-158.pdf
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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Institute for Advanced Studies in its series Economics Series with number 158.

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Length: 39 pages
Date of creation: May 2004
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:ihs:ihsesp:158

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Related research

Keywords: Intergenerational transfers; The demonstration effect; Inculcating values in children; Subsidizing the production of grandchildren; Housing downpayments;

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Cited by:
  1. Liliana E. Pezzin & Robert A. Pollak & Barbara S. Schone, 2008. "Long-Term Care of the Disabled Elderly: Do Children Increase Caregiving by Spouses?," NBER Working Papers 14328, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  2. De Fraja, Gianni, 2009. "The origin of utility: Sexual selection and conspicuous consumption," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 51-69, October.
  3. Mitrut, Andreea & Wolff, François-Charles, 2009. "A causal test of the demonstration effect theory," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 103(1), pages 52-54, April.
  4. Thomas Leopold & Thorsten Schneider, 2010. "Family Events and Timing of Intergenerational Transfers," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 327, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
  5. Norifumi Yukutake & Shinichiro Iwata & Takako Idee, 2011. "Strategic Interaction between Inter Vivos Gifts and Housing Acquisition," Global COE Hi-Stat Discussion Paper Series gd11-201, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
  6. Maurice J. Roche & David Duffy, 2007. "Getting a Helping Hand: Parental Transfers and First-Time Homebuyers," Economics, Finance and Accounting Department Working Paper Series n1740507, Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting, National University of Ireland - Maynooth.
  7. Donald Cox, 2007. "Biological Basics and the Economics of the Family," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 21(2), pages 91-108, Spring.
  8. Ralitza Dimova & François-Charles Wolff, 2011. "Do downward private transfers enhance maternal labor supply? Evidence from around Europe," Journal of Population Economics, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 911-933, July.
  9. José Giménez-Nadal & Miriam Marcén & Raquel Ortega, 2012. "Substitution and Presence Effects of Children on Mothers’ Adult Care Time," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 2-10, March.
  10. Kuhn, Michael & Nuscheler, Robert, 2011. "Optimal public provision of nursing homes and the role of information," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 795-810, July.

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