In this paper we investigate the effect of relative income on marital status. We develop an identity model based on Akerlof and Kranton (2000) and apply it to the marriage decision. The empirical evidence is consistent with the idea that people are more likely to marry when their incomes...

In this paper we investigate the effect of relative income on marital status. We develop an identity model based on Akerlof and Kranton (2000) and apply it to the marriage decision. The empirical evidence is consistent with the idea that people are more likely to marry when their incomes...

The authors present first-year findings from New York City Social Indicators Survey (SIS) project. They begin with an overview of the issues that motivated the project and a brief summary of their measures and data-collection methods. The next sections use data collected in 1997 to tell the...