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An Economist’s View of Marriage

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Abstract

This article considers recent developments in the economic analysis of families. The usual economic analysis of families has considered families as household firms that produce goods and services. Recently this model of the household firm been challenged by an economic analysis of families that focuses on shared consumption in households rather than shared production. These challenges rest on the assumption that the basic economic problem for families is now coordination of taste and consumption rather than provision under conditions of scarcity. The article considers these challenges to the usual economic analysis of families and concludes that, in spite of the many changes to family structures in recent decades, the model of the household firm is still the most valid model of the family, especially for families with children.

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  1. 423 Hillsmere Drive, Annapolis, MD, 21403, USA

    Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill

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  1. Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill
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Correspondence to Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill.

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Merrill, J.P. An Economist’s View of Marriage. Soc 47, 234–239 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-010-9316-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-010-9316-4

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