Intrahousehold Economies of Scale with Application to Food Assistance and Work Incentive Programs
研究美国无子女两人家庭共同生活相比独居的成本节约，发现女性消费占家庭总支出的48%，独居所需收入约为两人家庭收入的65%（女性）或63%（男性），对贫困线和联邦福利计算有启示。
Comparing income levels across families with different household compositions and sizes is not easy and has been a long‐term focus in welfare and policy analysis. This paper evaluates the extent childless two‐person households in the U.S. reduce their costs by living together relative to living alone. Using a structural collective household model and household scanner data, we find women, on average, consume 48% of total household expenditures, and a woman (man) living alone would need approximately 65% (63%) of the two‐person household's income to reach the same living standard as attained as a member of a two‐person household. Our results suggest the poverty line for two‐person childless households may need to be increased, whereas other federal benefit calculations are overly generous.