Property Rights, Marriage, and Fertility in the Italian Alps, 1790–1820
Posted: 30 Oct 2018 Last revised: 1 Mar 2022
Date Written: 2019
Abstract
Does property rights allocation on the commons affect marriage strategies and fertility? We focus on the role played by patrilineal vs. egalitarian inheritance systems. Our approach combines a theoretical model and an empirical study that exploits an institutional shock at the turn of the 19th century, which made inheritance on the common property-resources egalitarian for everyone. We report that – as predicted by the model – communities with patrilineal inheritance rights on the commons exhibit higher levels of endogamy and consanguinity and lower fertility than those with egalitarian inheritance rights.
Keywords: Common-Pool Resources, Inheritance, Land Tenure, Napoleon
JEL Classification: D23, N53, P48,
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation