Economic Development and the Family Structure: From the Pater Familias to the Nuclear Family
ECONPUBBLICA Working Paper No. 150
30 Pages Posted: 5 Mar 2012
Date Written: October 1, 2010
Abstract
In this article, we provide a theory that is able to account for the observed co-movement between the shift in intergenerational living arrangements from coresidence to non-coresidence and economic growth. Our theory is consistent with the diminution in the status of the elderly documented by somesociologists. A significant implication of our theory is that while explanations of the shift in the living arrangements that are based on pure economic factors are compatible with the evidence, those relying on cultural factors are not.
Keywords: Unied Growth Theory, Intergenerational Living Arrangements, Bargaining Power, Family Economics
JEL Classification: O40, O11, O33, J10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation