ON THE DEMAND FOR GRANDCHILDREN: TIED TRANSFERS AND THE DEMONSTRATION EFFECT

Donald Cox () and Oded Stark

No 18751, Discussion Papers from University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF)

Abstract: It is argued that parents provide help with housing downpayments in order to encourage the production of grandchildren, and that such a subsidization emanates from the "demonstration effect:" a child's propensity to furnish parents with attention and care can be conditioned by parental example. Parents who desire such transfers in the future have an incentive to make transfers to their own parents in order to instill appropriate preferences in their children. This generates a derived demand for grandchildren since potential grandparents will be treated better by their adult children if the latter have their own children to whom to demonstrate the appropriate behavior. Empirical work indicates behavior consistent with subsidization of the production of grandchildren and the demonstration effect.

Keywords: Consumer/Household; Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44
Date: 2004
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Chapter: On the Demand for Grandchildren: Tied Transfers and the Demonstration Effect (2007)
Journal Article: On the demand for grandchildren: tied transfers and the demonstration effect (2005)
Working Paper: On the Demand for Grandchildren: Tied Transfers and the Demonstration Effect (2004)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:ubzefd:18751

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.18751

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