tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post3021038837605076631..comments2024-03-28T09:22:36.967+13:00Comments on Offsetting Behaviour: A simple argument in favour of polygamyEric Cramptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-87063518609754232342015-07-02T01:55:47.190+12:002015-07-02T01:55:47.190+12:00My undergraduate take on the issue. http://khakiec...My undergraduate take on the issue. http://khakieconomist.blogspot.com.au/2008/10/economics-of-big-love.htmlJames Savagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-11406279308269012972013-07-05T08:48:39.475+12:002013-07-05T08:48:39.475+12:00Hi Frances,
If adding an additional marriage par...Hi Frances,<br /><br /><br />If adding an additional marriage partner requires the consent of all of those currently in the marriage partnership (as it should), then I'd expect the first ones to take up such arrangements would be those who were happy to share a kitchen. There are plenty of wives who are happy to share their kitchen with their husbands already. I have a far harder time seeing the point of the whole thing if it's spread across multiple households. <br /><br /><br />Doug Allen raised a lot of similar concerns when he visited here last semester (when are you coming, by the way?). I'd expect that, in your scenario, the wife with the job should owe alimony to the one without, but I'd also expect that the marriage contracts would have reasonably explicit exit clauses because there obviously isn't an extensive body of common law on which to draw. I'd also expect that each would be treated as full partners, so each eligible for equal shares of assets if one partner dies. <br /><br /><br />I also expect that the most common arrangement would wind up being one woman in China with two or more husbands. <br /><br /><br />Refundable tax credits and the like... I'd expect it would have to depend on household income averaged. So if you have 3 adults and 5 kids on x household income, you'd be treated as though there were 2 adults and 10/3 kids on 3/2x household income, then ratcheted up for the actual number of adults/kids. But it would also likely need to be curved because of the household production opportunites afforded by the additional spouse. Big picture though, I'd expect that whatever obligations husbands and wives owe to each other under the law currently would extend to all additional partners inside the relationship.Eric Cramptonhttp://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-44432741104725437962013-07-04T23:29:41.394+12:002013-07-04T23:29:41.394+12:00Interesting post. It's not obvious that in fac...Interesting post. It's not obvious that in fact there are household production advantages to polygamous relationships. I suspect there are quite a few woman out there who would be more willing to share their husband than their kitchen. If, in fact, polygamous relationships were legal, I suspect by far the most common arrangement would be wife 1 has house 1, wife 2 has house 2, etc, and husband divides his time between the households. (Or the gender roles could be reversed). <br /><br />Does a husband have to ask his wife for permission before marrying a second wife? Does he have to tell his first wife before marrying a second? Are the first wife and the second wife married too? <br /><br />Polygamous marriage is a whole lot more straightforward than polygamous divorce, though.<br /><br />Imagine a polygamous relationship where the husband was a farmer, producing mostly in-kind income, one wife had a steady job and generated most of the family's cash, and the other wife stayed home and looked after the kids.<br /><br />If one wife leaves, what obligations does she have to, and what claims does she have on, the other wife or wives? How would the division of assets work? <br /><br />Could the wife with a job owe the at-home wife alimony or child support?<br /><br />If the husband dies, what claim does each wife have on his assets?<br /><br />How is eligibility for refundable tax credits and other low income supports determined? Does one wife have an obligation to share her income with other wives?Frances Woolleynoreply@blogger.com