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Marriage, divorce, and legal change: new evidence from England and Wales
Author(s) -
Binner JM,
Dnes AW
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
economic inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1465-7295
pISSN - 0095-2583
DOI - 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2001.tb00067.x
Subject(s) - coase theorem , economics , liberalization , family law , socioeconomic status , law , demographic economics , sociology , political science , demography , population , transaction cost , microeconomics
In this article, we explain the evolution of divorce rates in England and Wales over the post‐war period. Following the approach of the predominantly North American literature in this area, we focus on the liberalization of divorce law and socioeconomic factors as determinants of the divorce rate. In line with the development of the literature, we find that the introduction of liberalized, no‐fault divorce law had a significant effect on the divorce rate in England and Wales. The finding that the law affects the divorce rate is consistent with the view that marriage is characterized by indivisibilities that inhibit Coasian bargaining.