Suicide and property rights in India

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Anderson, Siwan; Genicot, Garance
• 署名单位: Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR); Georgetown University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.11.004
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 64-78
• 关键词: Suicide; inheritance; property rights; CONFLICT

摘要

This paper studies the impact of female property rights on male and female suicide rates in India. Using state level variation in legal changes to women's property rights, we show that better property rights for women are associated with a decrease in the difference between female and male suicide rates, but an increase in both male and female suicides. We conjecture that increasing female property rights increased conflict within household and this increased conflict resulted in more suicides among both men and women in India. Using individual level data on domestic violence we find evidence that increased property rights for women did increase the incidence of wife beating in India. A model of intra-household bargaining with asymmetric information and costly conflict is consistent with these findings. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.