Marriage, divorce, and legal change: New evidence from England and Wales

Jane M. Binner*, Antony W. Dnes

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In this article, we explain the evolution of divorce rates in England and Wales over the post-war period. Following the approach of the predominantly North American literature in this area, we focus on the liberalization of divorce law and socioeconomic factors as determinants of the divorce rate. In line with the development of the literature, we find that the introduction of liberalized, no-fault divorce law had a significant effect on the divorce rate in England and Wales. The finding that the law affects the divorce rate is consistent with the view that marriage is characterized by indivisibilities that inhibit Coasian bargaining.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)298-306
Number of pages9
JournalEconomic Inquiry
Volume39
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2001

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Business,Management and Accounting
  • Economics and Econometrics

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