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Cooperation in Polygynous Households

Author

Listed:
  • Abigail Barr
  • Marleen Dekker
  • Wendy Janssens
  • Bereket Kebede
  • Berber Kramer

Abstract

Using a carefully designed series of public goods games, we compare, across monogamous and polygynous households, the willingness of husbands and wives to cooperate to maximize household gains. Compared to monogamous husbands and wives, polygynous husbands and wives are less cooperative, one with another, and co-wives are least cooperative, one with another. The husbands' and wives' behavior in a corresponding series of inter-household games indicates that these differences cannot be attributed to selection of less cooperative people into polygyny. Finally, behavior in polygynous households is more reciprocal and less apparently altruistic.

Suggested Citation

  • Abigail Barr & Marleen Dekker & Wendy Janssens & Bereket Kebede & Berber Kramer, 2019. "Cooperation in Polygynous Households," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 266-283, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:11:y:2019:i:2:p:266-83
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20170438
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    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/app.20170438
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    Cited by:

    1. Guirkinger, Catherine & Gross, Jérémie & Platteau, Jean-Philippe, 2021. "Are women emancipating? Evidence from marriage, divorce and remarriage in Rural Northern Burkina Faso☆," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    2. D’Exelle, Ben & Lépine, Aurélia & Bakyono, Richard & Tapsoba, Ludovic D.G., 2023. "Fertility and polygyny: Experimental evidence from Burkina Faso," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    3. Heath, Rachel & Hidrobo, Melissa & Roy, Shalini, 2020. "Cash transfers, polygamy, and intimate partner violence: Experimental evidence from Mali," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    4. Ambler, Kate & Jones, Kelly & Recalde, María P., 2024. "Experimental measures of intra-household resource control," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    5. Rajat Deb & Deep Deb & Kiran Sankar Chakraborty, 2022. "Spousal roles in life insurance demands," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(1), pages 3-11, March.
    6. Charlotte Ringdal & Ingrid Hoem Sjursen, 2021. "Household Bargaining and Spending on Children: Experimental Evidence from Tanzania," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 88(350), pages 430-455, April.
    7. Abigail Barr & Marlene Dekker & Floyd Mwansa & Tia Linda Zuze, 2020. "Financial decision-making, gender and social norms in Zambia: Preliminary report on the quantitative data generation, analysis and results," Discussion Papers 2020-06, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.
    8. Friedson-Ridenour, Sophia & Pierotti, Rachael S., 2019. "Competing priorities: Women’s microenterprises and household relationships," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 53-62.
    9. Deschênes, Sarah & Dumas, Christelle & Lambert, Sylvie, 2020. "Household resources and individual strategies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    10. Doux Baraka Kusinza & Catherine Guirkinger, 2024. "Cooperation in Polygamous Households. Experimental Evidence from Northern Benin," DeFiPP Working Papers 2403, University of Namur, Development Finance and Public Policies.
    11. Gobbi, Paula Eugenia & Baudin, Thomas & De Rock, Bram, 2021. "Economics and family structures," CEPR Discussion Papers 16516, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Karimli, Leyla & Lecoutere, Els & Wells, Christine R. & Ismayilova, Leyla, 2021. "More assets, more decision-making power? Mediation model in a cluster-randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of the graduation program on women's empowerment in Burkina Faso," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    13. Cheryl R. Doss & Agnes R. Quisumbing, 2020. "Understanding rural household behavior: Beyond Boserup and Becker," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 47-58, January.
    14. Herrera-Almanza, Catalina & McCarthy, Aine Seitz, 2025. "Strategic Responses to Disparities in Spousal Desired Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Rural Tanzania," IZA Discussion Papers 18115, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Ranucci, Immacolata & Romano, Donato & Tiberti, Luca, 2025. "Weather shocks and resilience to food insecurity: Exploring the role of gender and kinship norms," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    16. Abbink, Klaus & Islam, Asad & Nguyen, Chau, 2020. "Whose voice matters? An experimental examination of gender bias in intra-household decision-making," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 337-352.
    17. Hoel, Jessica B. & Hidrobo, Melissa & Bernard, Tanguy & Ashour, Maha, 2021. "What do intra-household experiments measure? Evidence from the lab and field," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 337-350.
    18. Pal, Sumantra, 2018. "Spousal Violence and Social Norms in India's North East," EconStor Preprints 179422, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    19. Huang, Wei & Wang, Yu & Zhao, Xiaojian, 2024. "Motivated Beliefs, Independence and Cooperation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    20. André, Pierre & Dupraz, Yannick, 2023. "Education and polygamy: Evidence from Cameroon," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    21. Matthew Gnagey & Therese Grijalva & Rong Rong, 2020. "Spousal influence and assortative mating on time preferences: a field experiment in the USA," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 461-512, June.
    22. De Vreyer, Philippe & Nilsson, Björn, 2019. "When solidarity fails: Heterogeneous effects on children from adult deaths in Senegalese households," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 73-94.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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    1. Cooperation in Polygynous Households (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2019) in ReplicationWiki

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