Household decision making in rural china: Using experiments to estimate the influences of spouses

Arbeitspapier

Many economic decisions are made jointly within households. This raises the question about spouses' relative influence on joint decisions and the determinants of relative influence. Using a controlled experiment (on inter-temporal choice), we let each spouse first make individual decisions and then make joint decisions with the other spouse. We use a random parameter probit model to measure the relative influence of spouses on joint decisions. In general, husbands have a stronger influence than wives. However, in richer households and when the wife is older than the husband, we find a significantly stronger influence of the wife on joint decisions.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 5127

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Group Behavior ; Field Experiments ; Household Behavior: General
• Subject: household decision making ; spouses ; relative influence ; random parameter model ; field experiment ; time preferences

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Carlsson, Fredrik ; He, Haoran ; Martinsson, Peter ; Qin, Ping ; Sutter, Matthias
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2010

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/44194
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-201010132822
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET