Four Essays in family economics

This thesis deals with topics in family economics. Family economics aims to understand the resource allocation and the distribution of welfare within a family and how families and markets interact. The economic interdependence of a family is not restricted to sharing living quarters - families also transfer time and money between members. The various chapters analyze how family structure influences market behavior and how markets affect families' behavior: since family ties impose obligations and responsibilities, family structure affects the labor supply and the consumer demand of each member of the family. In turn, labor and marriage market conditions, institutions and the technologies of household production determine the decision to cohabit and start a family.