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Cover of Research Handbook on the Economics of Family Law

Research Handbook on the Economics of Family Law

by Lloyd R. Cohen

Book Details

Publisher:Edward Elgar Publishing
Published:2011-01-01
Pages:321
Format:BOOK
Language:en

Reading Info

About This Book

Those not learned in the economic arts believe that economics is either solely or essentially concerned with commercial relations. And, so it was, originally. Then, in the second half of the 20th century, economists began applying their minimalist but sturdy tools to other human activities such as marriage, child-bearing, crime, religion and social groups. In this spirit, the Research Handbook on the Economics of Family Law gives us a series of original essays by distinguished scholars in econom

Our Review

This research handbook demonstrates how economic analysis illuminates the complex terrain of family law, applying rational choice theory and market principles to intimate human institutions like marriage, child-rearing, and divorce. Distinguished scholars contribute original essays that treat family relationships not as purely emotional bonds but as contractual arrangements with measurable costs, benefits, and incentives. The collection systematically extends economic methodology beyond commercial relations into the domestic sphere, revealing the hidden economic structures governing family formation and dissolution.

The volume's distinctive value lies in its rigorous application of economic tools to legal institutions that many assume operate outside market logic, making it particularly valuable for law and economics scholars, policy analysts, and social scientists. By examining family law through this analytical lens, the handbook provides fresh insights into how legal rules shape behavior in marriage markets, parental investments, and household decision-making. Readers will emerge with a fundamentally different understanding of how economic forces silently organize our most personal relationships.

Themes

Law

Subjects

Law