Household overspending on marriage: the scale of the problem and government reactions around the world

What is it about?

Academic literature links marriage-associated overspending to armed insurgency, child marriage, and decreasing state efficiency. However, despite the problem's scope, existing research has not comprehensively addressed both its causes, and cross-country differences in government reactions to it. The article addresses both of the mentioned gaps, by offering a model of marriage overspending. The analysis of data from 141 countries empirically supports the main research argument - in a strong collectivist socio-cultural environment, the rise of middle classes, combined with the decline of traditional hierarchies, and limited opportunities for economic mobility motivates households to enter emulative wedding spending, thus pushing families to spend on marriage beyond their means.

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