Work

A practical revealed preference model for separating preferences and availability effects in marriage formation

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Many demographic problems require models for partnership formation. We consider a model for matchings within a bipartite population where individuals have utility for people based on observed and unobserved characteristics. It represents both the availability of potential partners of different types and the preferences of individuals for such people. We develop an estimator for the preference parameters based on sample survey data on partnerships and population composition. We conduct simulation studies based on the Survey of Income and Program Participation showing that the estimator recovers preference parameters that are invariant under different population availabilities and has the correct confidence coverage.

Source: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (Statistics in Society)

DOI: 10.1093/jrsssa/qnad031

Authors: Shuchi Goyal, Mark S Handcock, Heide M Jackson, Michael S Rendall, Fiona C Yeung

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, Maryland Population Research Center, University of Maryland, College Park

Language: English

Topic: Game Theory and Voting Systems

Subfield: Economics and Econometrics

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development