Parenting with Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission

Matthias Doepke and Fabrizio Zilibotti

No 2014-013, Working Papers from Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group

Abstract: We develop a theory of intergenerational preference transmission that rationalizes the choice between parenting styles. Parents maximize an objective function that combines Beckerian altruism and paternalism towards children. They can affect their children's choices via two channels: either by influencing children's preferences or by imposing direct restrictions on their choice sets. Different parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, permissive) emerge as equilibrium outcomes, and are affected both by parental preferences and by the socioeconomic environment. The theory is consistent with the decline of authoritarian parenting in industrialized countries, and with the greater prevalence of permissive parenting in countries characterized by low inequality.

Keywords: Parenting Style; Intergenerational Preference Transmission; Paternalism; Occupational Choice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D10 J10 O10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-evo and nep-gro
Note: M
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (46)

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http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Doepke ... _parenting-style.pdf First version, 6/10/2014 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Parenting With Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission (2017)
Working Paper: Parenting with Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission (2014)
Working Paper: Parenting with Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission (2014)
Working Paper: Parenting with Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission (2014)
Working Paper: Parenting with style: altruism and paternalism in intergenerational preference transmission (2014)
Working Paper: Parenting with Style: Altruism and Paternalism in Intergenerational Preference Transmission (2012)
Working Paper: Parenting with style: Altruism and paternalism in intergenerational preference transmission (2012)
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