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Economics in a Family Way

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Author Info
Theodore C. Bergstrom (University of Michigan)

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Abstract

This paper is an advertisement for some facts and ideas that I think likely to lead to a richer theory of the economics of the family. The discussion references many papers from anthropology and biology. Because of the intimate connection between the family and reproduction, it should not be surprising that there is much to be learned about the economics of the family from the study of evolutionary biology. Given the increased prevalence in recent decades of unwed parenthood, divorce with sequential monogamy, and ``non-traditional'' family arrangements, it also seems plausible that anthropological studies of alternative family structures would help us to understand our own. The first section presents an evolutionary theory of interpersonal sympathy among family members. It discusses the genetic theory of kin selection and its implications for human preferences and relate these ideas to theories of the cultural evolution of preferences. The next section takes an evolutionary viewpoint in exploring the riddles posed by the demographic transition and the question of intergenerational flows of wealth. The third section discusses non-monogamous family structures in our own culture and in other cultures. The final section draws on a more traditional source of inspiration for economists. This section outlines an approach to bargaining theory within the family based on recent discoveries in non-cooperative game theory and discusses ways of integrating the theory of spousal bargaining with the theory of marriage markets.(Revised, January 1966)

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Labor and Demography with number 9507002.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 38 pages
Date of creation: 13 Jul 1995
Date of revision: 06 Feb 1996
Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpla:9507002

Note: postscript, IBM PC with NextSTep OS, TeX, Postscript, pages: 38; figures: included. To appear in Journal of Economic Literature
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Web page: http://129.3.20.41

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Related research
Keywords: family; evolution; cultural evolution; anthropology; biology; bargaining; demographic transition; wealth transfers;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J - Labor and Demographic Economics

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Ted Bergstrom, 1994. "Primogeniture, Monogamy and Reproductive Success in a Stratified Society," Meeting papers 9410001, EconWPA, revised 10 Oct 1994. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Ted Bergstrom, 1995. "A Survey of Theories of the Family," Papers _027, University of Michigan, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Ted Bergstrom, 1989. "Love and Spaghetti, The Opportunity Cost of Virtue," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 1989B, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Donald Cox & Oded Stark, 1996. "Intergenerational Transfers and the Demonstration Effect," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 329., Boston College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Ted Bergstrom, 1994. "On the Economics of Polygyny," Microeconomics 9410001, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Neil Bruce & Michael Waldman, 1988. "Transfers in Kind: Why They Can Be Efficient and Non-Paternalistic," UCLA Economics Working Papers 532, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. de Brauw, Alan, 2004. "Parents As Public Goods: Theory And Evidence From Rural China," 2004 Annual meeting, August 1-4, Denver, CO 20298, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association). [Downloadable!]
  3. Anyck Dauphin & Abdel-Rahmen El Lahga & Bernard Fortin & Guy Lacroix, 2008. "Are Children Decision-Makers Within the Household?," Cahiers de recherche 0829, CIRPEE. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Luc Arrondel & André Masson, 2002. "Altruism, Exchange or Indirect Reciprocity: What do the Data on Family Transfers Show?," DELTA Working Papers 2002-18, DELTA (Ecole normale supérieure). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. William T. Harbaugh, 2001. "Valuing Children’s Health and Life: What Does Economic Theory Say About Including Parental and Societal Willingness To Pay?," University of Oregon Economics Department Working Papers 2001-13, University of Oregon Economics Department, revised 01 Jun 2001. [Downloadable!]
  6. Eric Langlais, 2009. "On unilateral divorce and the "selection of marriages" hypothesis," EconomiX Working Papers 2009-9, University of Paris West - Nanterre la Défense, EconomiX. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Smith, Trenton G. & Tasnadi, Attila, 2005. "A Theory of Natural Addiction," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19195, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Homero Cuevas, 2000. "La teoría económica, el afecto y la familia," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 2(2), pages 13-36, January-J. [Downloadable!]
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