There’s More to Marriage Than Love: The Effect of Legal Status and Cultural Distance on Intermarriages and Separations

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2025
Volume: 133
Issue: 4
Pages: 1276 - 1333

Authors (3)

Jérôme Adda (Università Commerciale Luigi B...) Paolo Pinotti (not in RePEc) Giulia Tura (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We analyze the contribution of legal status incentives on the marriage choices of natives and migrants. Access to legal status reduces the probability of immigrants intermarrying with natives by 40% and increases the hazard rate of separation for intermarriages by 20%. We develop and estimate a multidimensional equilibrium model of marriage, fertility, and separation, where individuals match on observed and unobserved characteristics. Allowing for trade-offs between cultural distance, legal status, and other socioeconomic spousal characteristics, we quantify the role of legal status and the strength of cultural preferences and evaluate the welfare consequences of granting legal status to immigrants.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/734093
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24