Marriage and the city: Search frictions and sorting of singles

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Urban Economics
Year: 2010
Volume: 67
Issue: 2
Pages: 206-218

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

This paper develops and tests a model where cities play an important role as marriage markets. The idea is simple. Cities are dense areas where singles can meet more potential partners than in rural areas. To enjoy those benefits, they are willing to pay a premium in terms of higher housing prices. Once married, the benefits from meeting more potential partners vanish and married couples move out of the city. Attractive singles benefit most from a dense market and are therefore more likely to move to the city. Those predictions are tested and confirmed with a unique Danish data set.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:juecon:v:67:y:2010:i:2:p:206-218
Journal Field
Urban
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25