tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post107605181591318598..comments2024-03-23T12:05:13.464-07:00Comments on Ideas: Division Rules and Assortative MatingDavid Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06543763515095867595noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-9397580072730904792017-03-23T06:26:36.127-07:002017-03-23T06:26:36.127-07:00Should any of Mr Friedman's readers be interes...Should any of Mr Friedman's readers be interested, I have used Mr Friedman's link to his explanation of 'comparative advantage' as the starting-point of a <a href="http://iliocentrism.blogspot.com/2017/03/comparative-advantage-explained.html" rel="nofollow">mini-rant against 'protectionism'</a>.Ilíonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15339406092961816142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-15101199339572664802017-03-17T15:36:34.296-07:002017-03-17T15:36:34.296-07:00Andy:
I believe the paragraph of my post that st...Andy: <br /><br />I believe the paragraph of my post that starts "Consider again the case of marriage" is making precisely that point–that in the context of modern marriage there are serious limits on the unequal division of income, which helps explain the existence of assortative mating.David Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06543763515095867595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-68464302220979076722017-03-17T10:55:09.785-07:002017-03-17T10:55:09.785-07:00David,
I certainly missed the possibility of side...David,<br /><br />I certainly missed the possibility of side payments to change the individual economic incentives. However, after consideration, I think they are not important in marriage in the US. Except in wildly disproportionate power situations like a mail-order bride, or in small traditionalist sub-cultures, I see a world of marriages where husbands usually earn a lot more and wives spend more of the money. And this is not just delegating the grunt work of shopping to a housewife -- the women have great say in the composition of spending. Bathrooms and kitchens are typically of much greater concern to women than men, and the cost of homes is driven up because they get their druthers. All generalities -- but don't they match your life experience as well?Andy Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13405711973967557636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-35401318991302459002017-03-13T16:17:15.509-07:002017-03-13T16:17:15.509-07:00Andy:
I think you are missing the possibility of ...Andy:<br /><br />I think you are missing the possibility of side payments. The highly compensated person can offer the less highly compensated an uneven division of benefits that is still better for him than the deal he could get if matched with another less highly compensated person.David Friedmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06543763515095867595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-59671106842571123812017-03-13T13:33:14.273-07:002017-03-13T13:33:14.273-07:00The fact that mixed pairs have higher overall comp...The fact that mixed pairs have higher overall compensation seems to be off-point to me. Each individual choosing a mate is going to be advantaged by getting a highly compensated one. The highly compensated people in the marriage pool are going to have the strong negotiating position, and each individually will be better off seeking a highly compensated mate. The less-well compensated are often left with each other to marry. Total income is down, but each acts in their own best interest.Andy C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-86092566326007507802017-03-10T10:29:40.919-08:002017-03-10T10:29:40.919-08:00There may be other benefits to like associating wi...There may be other benefits to like associating with like:<br /><br />a. Pleasant interactions--it seems like it's more pleasant overall to interact with people who are about as bright as you are. Shared culture, stories, jokes, interests, and concerns are possible when you're all on more-or-less the same level. <br /><br />b. There are benefits to having everyone in the office be reasonably bright. In some sense, any tools, software, instructions, rules, etc., at your workplace that apply to everyone need to be geared toward the least intelligent. It's possible that there are some global benefits when you don't have to keep mechanisms around in your workplace that will work out well for someone of below-average intelligence, because all your employees graduated from high-end schools. albatrossnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-4337785706919679272017-03-09T07:56:16.755-08:002017-03-09T07:56:16.755-08:00The (alleged) rise of assortative mating has happe...The (alleged) rise of assortative mating has happened at the same time as home production has been de-emphasised. So the complementarities in production that you talk about have become less important, and penalise assortative mating less.<br /><br />But you should also consider complementarities in consumption. It's not just that the pair are sharing a level of consumption, but the <em>nature</em> of that consumption is going to be shared too. And it's possible that has become more important over the same period. If I want to enjoy most of my consumption in terms of status goods like living in Manhattan, expensive holidays, etc, then I need to marry someone who thinks the same way.Salemicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487995753513658021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-48551601676061826312017-03-09T03:40:36.392-08:002017-03-09T03:40:36.392-08:00Another possibility is that assortative mating has...Another possibility is that assortative mating has nothing to do with economy, but with biology. After all, the pairs are not just paired based on income, but they are also more similar on several other axes.szopenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02234132446740838968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19727420.post-8300613468397932502017-03-09T00:43:13.317-08:002017-03-09T00:43:13.317-08:00One other major factor: highly-skilled persons wa...One other major factor: highly-skilled persons want their children to inherit a similar level of skill. Mating with another highly-skilled person is more likely to accomplish this than mating with a low-skilled person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com