Household finances, income shocks and family separation in Britain

Bridges, S.J.; Disney, Richard

Abstract

We examine the effect of household financial indebtedness on the incidence of partnership dissolution using a large survey of families with children in Britain. We use detailed data on household finances to provide a robust statistical analysis of the relationship between indebtedness and partnership dissolution and to avoid the potential simultaneity of financial and psychological health responses that arise when using self- reported data on the extent of household ‘financial problems’. We examine whether the data provides any support for the ‘economic’ models of divorce and separation developed by Gary Becker and his colleagues.

Citation

Bridges, S., & Disney, R. (2016). Household finances, income shocks and family separation in Britain. Economic Inquiry, 54(1), 698-718. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12259

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 17, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 17, 2016
• Journal: Economic Inquiry
• Print ISSN: 0095-2583
• Electronic ISSN: 1465-7295
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 698-718
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12259
• Keywords: Debt, Separation, Household Finances
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/767683
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.12259/abstract
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Bridges, S. and Disney, R. (2016), Household Finances, Income Shocks, and Family Separation in Britain. Economic Inquiry, 54: 698–718. doi: 10.1111/ecin.12259 which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.12259/abstract. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.