Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - ECON 454 D100

Seminar in the Economics of the Family (3)

Class Number: 6519

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 7, 2026: Tue, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

    Sep 9 – Dec 7, 2026: Thu, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    ECON 201 and ECON (or BUEC) 333, all with a minimum grade of C-.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An economic analysis of behaviour within the family, institutional aspects of the family, and the economic role of families. Topics include bargaining, household production, intra-family transfers, fertility, marriage, divorce and other topics like dowries, footbinding and mate matching behaviour. Students with credit for ECON 454W may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

Fifty years ago, the “economics of the family” was limited to Gary Becker’s two papers on marriage and an odd paper on foot-binding by Steven Cheung. Even in the 1980s the “economics of marriage” was considered extremely exotic. However, as data sets improved, and as theorists became more inclined to treating the household as a group of separate individuals rather than being represented by a single utility function, interest in the family increased as well. Today, there is a fast-growing and diverse literature on virtually every aspect of the family, and empirical relationships that were relatively stable in the twentieth century have begun to disappear.

This course is organized around subjects within this literature. Part I of the course examines issues that are mostly neoclassical in the sense they consider questions of “how much” and at “what price.” For example, who should produce household goods, what should the split be between spouses, how many marriages take place, what explains fertility rates across time and space ... etc. Part II considers more institutional features of marriage that examine “how is marriage designed.” For example, why do people actually get married rather than just live together, why do female engagement rings have diamonds in them, why are weddings so expensive, and why do some cultures use dowries?

The course combines both theory and empirical work, and the emphasis will be on understanding marriage, divorce, and family behavior rather than arguing one type of behavior is better than another. That being said, when it comes to marriage, everyone has an opinion and students are encouraged to argue in favour of their views on the family!

Students should be comfortable with intermediate level micro theory, basic statistics, and regression theory. However, the focus is on the economic ideas of the family, and mechanics are only the means to this end.

This course is A SEMINAR, not a lecture. A seminar can be a great experience if you take it seriously and engage with the materials and others in a professional academic manner. Here is what is expected of you:

  1. Every week you will have a series of things to read — usually up to 30-40 pages. There will almost always be one academic paper, and some general audience thing that should relate to the topic. I will expect you to read everything before we meet as a class. If the academic paper is long or important, we will often spend more than one class discussing it. I will generally lead the discussion of the key economic theory papers.
  2. With these readings it is important that you form an opinion about them, and share that in class. The opinion can be anything from I just don’t like it” to something more sophisticated. Seminars are based on open discussions of ideas, and no idea should be safe from critical scrutiny.
  3. Over the course of the semester, you will be assigned one of the non-academic reading to present it to the class and argue for or against it to generate discussion.
  4. There is no participation if you are not in class, and so ATTENDANCE is MANDATORY for every class. If you miss a class and don’t want to be penalized, you’ll need some evidence of a legitimate excuse. “The bus was late” is not an excuse. Buses are always late, start taking an earlier one. There is also no participation if you show up and don’t say anything. You are expected to say at least one thing in every class.

COURSE OUTLINE

Prequel: Elements of Writing and Style

  1. Don McCloskey “Economical Writing” Economic Enquiry April 1985.

Part I. Neoclassical/Gary Becker Approach to the Family

  1. Gary Becker’s Seminal Paper

Academic Papers

  1. Becker, Gary. “Nobel Lecture:The Economic Way of Looking at Behavior”Journal of Political Economy June 1993.
  2. Becker, Gary. “A Theory of Marriage, Part I” Journal of Political Economy July 1973.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. “Chinese Youngsters Celebrate Singles’ Day with More Joy and Calmness”

Xinhua November 11, 2010

  1. “The Mismeasure of Woman” The Economist Aug 3rd 2006
  2. Rosen, Christine, “ What (Most) Women Want: A review of Taking Sex Dif-ferences Seriously by Steven E. Rhoads” Claremont Review of Books Spring 2005.
  3. Polygamy and Prostitution

Academic Papers

  1. Anderson and Tollison. “Celestial marriage and earthly rents: Interests andthe prohibition of polygamy” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 1998.
  2. Gaddy et al. “High rates of polygyny do not lock large proportions of menout of the marriage market” PNAS (2025).
  3. Hanan G. Jacoby “The Economics of Polygyny in Sub-Saharan Africa: Fe-male Productivity and the Demand for Wives in Cote d’Ivoire” Journal of Political Economy 1995.
  4. Edlund, L. and E. Korn. “A Theory of Prostitution.” Journal of Political Economy 110(1), 2002: 181–214.
  5. Raj Arunachalam and Manisha Shah, “Prostitutes and Brides?” AmericanEconomic Review 98(2), 2008: 516–522.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. McGuire. “Polyamory is a modern name for a backwards practice.” National Review Online May 2017.
  2. Gross Domestic Pleasure. The Economist March 21, 2026.
  3. Fertility

Academic Papers

  1. Claudia Goldin “The Downside of Fertility” NBER working paper, 2025
  2. Fleck and Hannsen “Rulers ruled by women”: an economic analysis of therise and fall of womens rights in ancient Sparta” Economics of Governance
  3. Doepke, Hannusch, Kindermann & Tertilt, “The Economics of Fertility: ANew Era,” in the Handbook of the Economics of the Family 1 (Elsevier, 2023).

Non-Academic Articles

  1. Bachiochi, E. and C. Pakaluk. “The Pill Is Not Good for Women” The National Review 21, 2012.
  2. David Bloom et al. ”Confronting low fertility rates and population decline”VoxEu, Aug. 12, 2024.
  3. David Brooks “The Fertility Implosion” New York Times March 12, 2012
  4. Matching Behavior

Academic Papers

  1. Allen “What Does She See In Him: The Effect of Sharing on the Choice ofSpouse.” Economic Inquiry 1992.
  2. Andreas Fagereng, “Marriage, Assortative Matching, and Wealth Inequal-ity” Stanford working paper, Nov. 2025.
  3. Allen, D.W. and S.E. Lu, “Matching, Marriage, and Children: DifferencesAcross Sexual Orientations.” Review of Economics of the Household 15(2),2017:

527–547.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. Naomi Riley “Is Marriage Evolving?” Acculurated August 7, 2017.
  2. Wendy Wang “A Record Share of Men Are ‘Marrying Up’ Educationally”

Family Studies November, 2017

  1. Greenwood et al. “US income inequality and assortative marriages.” VoxEu,

Feb. 2014

  1. Livingston and Brown. “Intermarriage in the U.S. 50 Years After Loving.”Pew Research Center May 2017.
  2. Backus, P. “Why I don’t have a girlfriend: An Application of the DrakeEquation to Love in the UK.”
  3. Cohabitation and Marriage Divide

Academic Papers

  1. Teachman “Premarital Sex, Premarital Cohabitation, and the Risk ofSubsequent marital Dissolution Among Women.” J. of Marriage and Family May 2003.
  2. Stanley, Rhoades, Markman. “Sliding Versus Deciding: Inertia and the Premarital Cohabitation Effect.” Family Relations 2006.
  3. Dush, Cohan, Amato. “The Relationship Between Cohabitation and Mar-ital Quality and Stability: Change Across Cohorts?” of Marriage and Family Aug. 2003.
  4. Lundberg and R. Pollak. “The Evolving Role of Marriage: 1950–2010”The Future of Children 25(2), Fall 2015.
  5. Scott Stanley and Galena Rhoades. “What’s the Plan? Cohabitation, En-

gagement, and Divorce” Family Studies April 2023.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. Henderson. “Does Marriage Make Sense for Millennials?” Forbes January 20, 2014.
  2. Mrozek and Mitchell, “Increasing Cohabitation is Destabilizing the Cana-dian Family” Family Studies August 23, 2017
  3. Mark Regnerus “Cheap Sex is the ”Inconvenient Truth” in the Retreat from

Marriage” Family Studies, 2017

PART 2. Marriage As an Institution

  1. Coase and Transaction Costs

Academic Papers

  1. Coase “The Problem of Social Cost” Journal of Law and Economics
  2. Allen “Transaction Costs” Encyclopedia of Law and Economics 2000.
  3. Allen and Brinig. “Sex, Property Rights, and Divorce” European Journal

of Law and Economics 1998.

Non-Academic Articles

a Roberta Jenkins, “Testosterone Levels Decrease in Men Who Get Married ...” PsyPost August 2017.

  1. Joel Budd, “The State of Marriage as an Institution” Economist November

25, 2017

  1. The Divorce Rate Debate

Academic Papers

  1. Wolfers “Did Unilateral Divorce Laws Raise Divorce Rates” American Eco-

nomic Review 96(5), 2006: 1802–1820.

  1. Allen “Review of Divorce Studies” Marriage and Public Policy 2007
  2. Stevenson and Wolfers “Marriage and Divorce: Changes and their DrivingForces” Journal of Economic Perspectives 21(2) 2007: 27–52.
  3. Wickelgren, A. “Why Divorce Laws Matter: Incentives for NoncontractibleMarital Investments under Unilateral and Consent Divorce.” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, 25(1) 2007: 80–106.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. Shearin “The Future of No Fault Divorce Laws” IDFA Feb. 2025.
  2. Thomas “Dogs Influence Millennials to Buy Homes” ABC 33/40 Aug. 2,

2017

  1. Leila Miller, “The Adult Children of Divorce Find Their Voice” Family Studies July, 2017.
  2. Glenn Staton “What is the Actual Divorce Rate?” Public Discourse, Dec.

16, 2015.

  1. Cheryl Wetzstein “Divorce Reform Floated in Michigan, Other States” Wash-

ington Times Dec. 9, 2015.

  1. Other No-Fault Effects

Academic Papers

  1. Edvin Hertegard “Divorce law reform, family stability and children’s long-term outcomes” IFAU working paper, Feb. 2024
  2. Allen, D. K.Pendakur, and W. Suen. “No-Fault Divorce and the Compres-sion of marriage Ages” Economic Inquiry July 2006.
  3. Gruber, Jonathan. “Is Making Divorce Easier Bad for Children? The LongRun Implications of Unilateral Divorce.” Journal of Labor Economics 22(4), 2004.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. Editorial, “Divorce Reform: The case for nofault divorce” Economist March 2017.
  2. Temma Ehrenfeld “Grandparents, Purse Strings and Divorce” Reuters July

2012

  1. Jason deParle “Two Classes, Divided by ‘I Do’ ” New York Times July 2012
  2. David Brooks “The Opportunity Gap” New York Times July 9, 2012
  3. Brad Wilcox “Family Matters: What’s the Most Important Factor BlockingSocial Mobility? Single Parents, Suggests a New Study” Slate January 22,

2014

  1. Why Marriage?

Academic Papers

  1. Cohen “The Unnatural Family, and Women’s Work” Virginia Law Review

1995

  1. Allen, D.W. “Marriage as an Institution: A New Institutional EconomicApproach” in Daniel Cere (ed) The Conjugal Bond: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Institution of Marriage (Montreal: McGill University Press, 2008).
  2. Brad Wilcox “Marriage: America’s Keystone Institution” The Heritage Foundation, Dec. 2024.
  3. Oreopoulos, P. “The Long Run Consequences of Living in a Poor neighbor-hood.” Quarterly J. of Economics 2003.
  4. Sedlak, et al. “Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and neglect:

Report to Congress”. US Department of health and Human Services 2010.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. Wester “Relationship Contracts are Just a Cheaper Version of MarriageVows.” Federalist June 2017.
  2. Glenn T. Stanton, “The Research Proves The No. 1 Social Justice Impera-tive Is Marriage” The Federalist November 3, 2017
  3. Wilcox, et al. “Mobility and Money in U.S. States: The Marriage Effect.”Brookings, Dec. 7, 2015.
  4. Child Outcomes, Legal Status, and Same-Sex Households
    1. Brinig, M. and Steven Nock. “Legal Status and Effects on Children” University of St. Thomas Law Journal 5(2), Winter 2008: 548–565.
    2. Rosenfeld, M. “Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress ThroughSchool” Demography 47(3) August, 2010: 755-775.
    3. Allen, Pakaluk, and Price. “Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progressthrough School: A Comment on Rosenfeld” Demography 50(3) June 2013: 955–961.
    4. Allen, Pakaluk, and Price. “Normal Progress Through School: Further Results” in No Differences? How Children in Same-Sex Households Fare:

Studies from Social Science. Ana Samuel (ed.) (Princeton: Witherspoon Institute 2014).

  1. Allen, D.W. “More Heat Than Light: A Critical Assessment of the Same-SexParenting Literature, 1995–2013” Marriage & Family Review 51(2) 2015:

154–182.

  1. Other Family Applications

Academic Papers

  1. Botticini and Siow “Why Dowries?” forthcoming American Economic Review
  2. Chen et al. “A Sweet Burden? The effectof bride prices on parents’ health”International Studies of Economics, Aug. 2023.
  3. Cheung “The Enforcement of Property Rights in Children, and the MarriageContract” Economic Journal
  4. Brinig, “Rings and Promises” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization 1986
  5. Do, Lyer, and Joshi. “The Economics of Consanguineous Marriages.” RE-Stat, 2013.

Non-Academic Articles

  1. Gershon. “Selling the Men’s Wedding Ring” JSTOR Daily May 2017
  2. Lewis, Jemina “The Fellowship of the Engagement Ring” Spectator March 18, 2006

 

 

Grading

NOTES:

Grades will be based on a midterm (20%), final (20%), term paper (20%), in class written assignments and quizzes (20%), and class participation (20%). I will go over these components in detail at the first class.

This is a (W) course and so you will be graded on the quality of writing as well as its economic content. Over the course of the term you can expect almost weekly reading quizzes and in class short writing assignments to test your comprehension and literacy skills.

We now live in the world of AI. It is a wonderful tool when used properly, and in this class I would encourage you to use it after you’ve read a paper. AI can assist in reading and comprehension, and can help you understand the math in a paper. It works best if you read things first on your own and form your own opinions. What you can NEVER do in this class is use AI to write for you. It is terrible at writing, and AI writing is easy to detect. Use it as a debating partner, don’t contract out your thinking and writing skills to it.

Bottom line:

If you show good will and effort, and generally try to engage with the material and others, you’ll not only do fine, you’ll love the course. However, if you are unwilling to do this and need a fourth year W to graduate, this is not the class for you.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Please note that, as per Policy T20.01, the course requirements (and grading scheme) outlined here are subject to change up until the end of the first week of classes.

Final exam schedules will be released during the second month of classes. If your course has a final exam, please ensure that you are available during the entire final exam period until you receive confirmation of your exam dates. 

Students requiring accommodations as a result of a disability must contact the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) at 778-782-3112 or caladmin@sfu.ca.

***NO TUTORIALS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES***

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.