From Polygyny to Serial Monogamy: A Unified Theory of Marriage Institutions
研究婚姻制度从一夫多妻制到一夫一妻制再到连续单偶制(离婚再婚)的演变,提出收入分配动态是驱动因素,并刻画不同制度下的婚姻市场均衡与政治均衡条件。
Marriage institutions have changed over time, evolving from polygyny to monogamy, and then to serial monogamy (as defined by divorce and remarriage). We propose a unified theory of such institutional changes, where the dynamics of income distribution are the driving force. We characterize the marriage-market equilibrium in each of the three alternative regimes, and determine which one emerges as a political equilibrium, depending on the state of the economy. In a two-class society, a rise in the share of rich males drives the change from polygyny to monogamy. The introduction of serial monogamy follows from a further rise in the proportion of either rich females or rich males. Monogamy eases the transition to serial monogamy, since it promotes social mobility.