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. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 206-218 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of Urban Economics |
Volume | 67 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |