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The Economics of Consanguineous Marriages

Author

Listed:
  • Quy-Toan Do

    (World Bank)

  • Sriya Iyer

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Shareen Joshi

    (Georgetown University)

Abstract

This paper provides an economic rationale for the practice of consanguineous marriages observed in parts of the developing world. In a model of incomplete marriage markets, dowries are viewed as ex ante transfers made from the bride's family to the groom's family when the promise of ex post gifts and bequests is not credible. Consanguineous unions join families between whom ex ante pledges are enforceable ex post. The model predicts a negative relationship between consanguinity and dowries and higher bequests in consanguineous unions. An empirical analysis based on data from Bangladesh delivers results consistent with the model. © 2013 The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Quy-Toan Do & Sriya Iyer & Shareen Joshi, 2013. "The Economics of Consanguineous Marriages," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(3), pages 904-918, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:95:y:2013:i:3:p:904-918
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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Alfano, 2014. "Daughters, Dowries, Deliveries:The Effect of Marital Payments on Fertility Choices in India," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 1413, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).
    2. Maertens, Annemie & Chari, A.V., 2020. "What’s Your Child Worth? An Analysis of Expected Dowry Payments in Rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Alfano, Marco, 2017. "Daughters, dowries, deliveries: The effect of marital payments on fertility choices in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 89-104.
    4. Pauline Morault, 2017. "Arranged Marriages under Transferable Utilities," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) halshs-01537971, HAL.
    5. Gregory K. Dow & Clyde G. Reed & Simon Woodcock, 2016. "The Economics Of Exogamous Marriage In Small-Scale Societies," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 54(4), pages 1805-1823, October.
    6. Rania Salem & Sarah Shah, 2019. "Economic rationales for kin marriage: Assessing the evidence using Egyptian panel data," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(19), pages 545-578.
    7. Hanan G. Jacoby & Ghazala Mansuri, 2010. "Watta Satta: Bride Exchange and Women's Welfare in Rural Pakistan," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(4), pages 1804-1825, September.
    8. Saima Bashir & Saman Nazir, 2025. "Marriage Market in Pakistan: Consanguinity, Educational Assortative Mating, and Fertility," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 44(1), pages 1-22, February.
    9. Amirapu, Amrit & Asadullah, M. Niaz & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2022. "Social barriers to female migration: Theory and evidence from Bangladesh," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    10. Theresa Chaudhry & Rabia Arif, 2024. "The Impact of Consanguineous Marriage on Children’s Human Capital in Pakistan," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 19(1), pages 112-137, April.
    11. Gani Aldashev & Zaki Wahhaj, 2019. "Marriage Timing and Forward Contracts in Marriage," Working Papers ECARES 2019-20, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    12. Pauline Morault, 2017. "Arranged Marriages under Transferable Utilities," AMSE Working Papers 1724, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    13. Mete, Cem & Bossavie, Laurent & Giles, John T. & Alderman, Harold, 2019. "Is Consanguinity an Impediment to Child Development Outcomes?," IZA Discussion Papers 12665, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Barbara Cavalletti & Corrado Lagazio & Daniela Vandone & Elena Lagomarsino, 2012. "The role of financial position on consumer indebted-ness. An empirical analysis in Italy," DEP - series of economic working papers 8/2012, University of Genoa, Research Doctorate in Public Economics.
    15. Pelin Akyol & Naci Mocan, 2023. "Education and Consanguineous Marriage," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(1), pages 114-171.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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