234 research outputs found
The Research Agenda: Matthias Doepke on the Transition from Stagnation to Growth
No full textMatthias Doepke is Associate Professor of Economics at UCLA. He is interested in the economic growth and development, demographic change, political economics, and monetary economics.
How Rosie the Riveter led to the 1950s’ Baby Boom
No full textThe two decades following World War II were characterized by a massive upswing in birth rates in the US and other countries – the so-called ‘baby Boom’. While the traditional explanation of the Baby Boom is that families made up for babies that were delayed due to the war, in new research Matthias Doepke suggests an alternative explanation. He argues that the Baby Boom of the 1950s was fuelled by the crowding out of younger women from the labor force by older women who had gained work experience during the war. These younger women then got married and had babies earlier, and in greater numbers
Money, parenting and happiness: A comparative and historical perspective
No full textMoney and parenting are two key factors that can bring considerable joy or misery to our daily lives. Empirical studies have shown that while money is generally associated with greater happiness, having small kids can actually be a source of unhappiness, especially for women. In this session, two experts – a sociologist and an economist – explore the intricate relationship between money, parenting and happiness, from a comparative and historical perspective. Professor Ono will present international evidence of marriage, parenting and happiness. Generally, marriage has a positive effect, and parenting has a negative effect on happiness, but there are some exceptions. For example in Scandinavia, the negative effect of parenting disappears, owing largely to the extensive social insurance and institutionalized family support. Another consistent pattern found around the world is that the negative effect of parenting is stronger among women than for men. Professor Ono will also discuss some features of marriage, parenting and happiness that are unique to Japan. Professor Doepke will apply the tools of economic analysis to explain the relationship between love, money and parenting, and how we raise our kids. Loving parents want their kids to be happy and do well, but how to accomplish this is shaped by the economic environment. In countries with high economic inequality such as the United States, parents push hard to ensure their children have a path to security and success. In less unequal nations such as Sweden, the stakes in parenting are less high, and parents can relax and grant more independence to their children. Professor Doepke will also show how the trend towards intensive parenting in many countries puts social mobility and equality of opportunity at risk, and discuss policy options for counteracting this trend
Does female empowerment promote economic development ?
No full textEmpirical evidence suggests that money in the hands of mothers (as opposed to their husbands) benefits children. Does this observation imply that targeting transfers to women is good economic policy? The authors develop a series of noncooperative family bargaining models to understand what kind of frictions can give rise to the observed empirical relationships. Then they assess the policy implications of these models. The authors find that targeting transfers to women can have unintended consequences and may fail to make children better off. Moreover, different forms of empowering women may lead to opposite results. More research is needed to distinguish between alternative theoretical models.Economic Theory&Research,Gender and Law,Debt Markets,Inequality,Public Sector Economics
Replication Data for: "Clans, Guilds and Markets: Apprenticeship Institutions and Growth in the Pre-Industrial Economy"
No full textThe data and programs replicate tables from "Clans, Guilds and Markets: Apprenticeship Institutions and Growth in the Pre-Industrial Economy", by de la Croix, Doepke, and Mokyr. Please see the Readme file for additional details
Replication Data for: "Clans, Guilds and Markets: Apprenticeship Institutions and Growth in the Pre-Industrial Economy"
No full textThe data and programs replicate tables from "Clans, Guilds and Markets: Apprenticeship Institutions and Growth in the Pre-Industrial Economy", by de la Croix, Doepke, and Mokyr. Please see the Readme file for additional details
The economics and politics of women's rights
No full textWomen’s rights and economic development are highly correlated. Today, the discrepancy between the legal rights of women and men is much larger in developing compared to developed countries. Historically, even in countries that are now rich women had few rights before economic development took off. Is development the cause of expanding women’s rights, or conversely, do women’s rights facilitate development? We argue that there is truth to both hypotheses. The literature on the economic consequences of women’s rights documents that more rights for women lead to more spending on health and children, which should benefit development. The politicaleconomy literature on the evolution of women’s rights finds that technological change increased the costs of patriarchy for men, and thus contributed to expanding women’s rights. Combining these perspectives, we discuss the theory of Doepke and Tertilt (2009), where an increase in the return to human capital induces men to vote for women’s rights, which in turn promotes growth in human capital and income per capita
Occupational Choice and the Spirit of Capitalism
No full textThe British Industrial Revolution triggered a reversal in the social order whereby the landed elite was replaced by industrial capitalists rising from the middle classes as the economically dominant group. Many observers have linked this transformation to the contrast in values between a hard-working and thrifty middle class and an upper class imbued with disdain for work. We propose an economic theory of preference formation in which both the divergence of attitudes across social classes and the ensuing reversal of economic fortunes are equilibrium outcomes. In our theory, parents shape their children’s preferences in response to economic incentives. If financial markets are imperfect, this results in the stratification of society along occupational lines. Middle-class families in occupations that require effort, skill, and experience develop patience and work ethic, whereas upper-class families relying on rental income cultivate a refined taste for leisure. These class-specific attitudes, which are rooted in the nature of pre-industrial professions, become key determinants of success once industrialization transforms the economic landscape.Endogenous Preferences, Social Classes, Industrial Revolution
The Economics and Politics of Women's Rights
No full textWomen's rights and economic development are highly correlated. Today, the discrepancy between the legal rights of women and men is much larger in developing compared to developed countries. Historically, even in countries that are now rich women had few rights before economic development took off. Is development the cause of expanding women's rights, or conversely, do women's rights facilitate development? We argue that there is truth to both hypotheses. The literature on the economic consequences of women's rights documents that more rights for women lead to more spending on health and children, which should benefit development. The political-economy literature on the evolution of women's rights finds that technological change increased the costs of patriarchy for men, and thus contributed to expanding women's rights. Combining these perspectives, we discuss the theory of Doepke and Tertilt (2009), where an increase in the return to human capital induces men to vote for women's rights, which in turn promotes growth in human capital and income per capita.
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