This chapter describes various methods on the elusive concept of the cost of children. At starvation level, there does not seem to be a specific cost level that can be identified as the costs. Traditional estimates define material needs at a minimum level, which are priced, and add up to cost....

There is enough evidence to be confident that individuals are able and willing to provide a meaningful answer when asked to value on a finite scale their satisfaction with their own lives, a question that psychologists have long and often posed to respondents of large questionnaires. Without...