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Why do People Get Married? An Inframarginal Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Tie-Ying Liu

    (Beijing Jiaotong University)

  • Hsu-Ling Chang

    (Ling Tung University)

  • Chi-Wei Su

    (Ocean University of China)

Abstract

This paper constructs an economic model to study the emergence of marriage based on a new infra-marginal general equilibrium analysis. By depicting the commonness and complementarity of marriage, we explain how a single person shifts from being single to being married based on the division of labor. Meanwhile, reduced learning costs will make an individual more willing to abandon the single status, and the number of families in the marriage market will increase. The model reveals the necessary conditions for the existence of marriage and marital stability and explains the dynamic changes in the relative population and the prices of parties in the marriage market.

Suggested Citation

  • Tie-Ying Liu & Hsu-Ling Chang & Chi-Wei Su, 2017. "Why do People Get Married? An Inframarginal Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 1281-1295, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:130:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s11205-016-1232-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-016-1232-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Marriage; Origin; Division; Transaction cost; Infra-marginal;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • D50 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - General

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