Journal of Labor Economics Vol. 43 No. S1 2025

Family Law Effects on Divorce, Fertility, and Child Investment

Meta Brown^1,2,3,4; Christopher J. Flinn^1,2,3,5; Joseph Mullins⁶

¹ Supélec · ² University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland · ³ Shandong University of Political Science and Law · ⁴ The Ohio State University · ⁵ New York University · ⁶ University of Minnesota System

Abstract

To assess the child welfare impact of policies governing divorced parenting, such as child support orders, child custody assignments, and marital dissolution standards, one must consider their influence not only on the divorce rate but also on spouses’ fertility choices and child investments. We develop a model of fertility, parenting, and divorce, from which we derive estimates of parental preferences and a child cognitive ability production function, using data on parental time allocation, children’s cognitive attainment, and realized fertility and divorce. Family policies that reduce divorce are simulated to have significant negative impacts on both fertility and child development.

DOI

10.1086/734568

Volume

43

Issue

S1

Pages

S351-S397

Language

en

Sources

bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

Cite

APA 7 MLA 9 Chicago (author–date) Harvard Elsevier Harvard (JFE, JBF…) The Accounting Review Academy of Management American Marketing Association INFORMS (Management Science) Copy citation Copied ✓