Open AccessAre Children Decision‐Makers within the Household? *
Author(s) -
Dauphin Anyck,
El Lahga AbdelRahmen,
Fortin Bernard,
Lacroix Guy
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the economic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.683
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1468-0297
pISSN - 0013-0133
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02404.x
Subject(s) - rationality , sample (material) , decision process , economics , psychology , sociology , demographic economics , political science , management science , chemistry , chromatography , law
This article seeks to determine whether children aged 16 and over and who are living with their parents influence the household decision‐making process. Assuming collective rationality within the household, we show how a minimal number of decision‐makers can be inferred from the parametric constraints of the collective model. Using UK Family Expenditure Surveys, we find the data to be consistent with the children being decision‐makers. When stratifying the sample by age and by gender, our results indicate that both children aged between 16 and 21 and daughters, irrespective of their age, are decision‐makers. Results for sons and children age 22 and over are less conclusive. Finally, the collective model is never rejected.