This book is a valuable addition to the economics of arranged marriage. Clear results are derived in each essay that can explain empirical regularities and data can be used to test the theory. The book will likely inspire additional research. Arranged marriage is an important topic that has been little studied by economists. Researches in other fields also can use the modeling techniques developed here. This book is a valuable first step to understanding arranged marriages.
Eastern Economic Journal
Professor Batabyal has gathered in this book a collection of his highly original and formal investigations of the issues on arranged marriage...The book is bound to become a primary source for those social scientists and economists who are interested in performing further theoretical or empirical investigation of arranged marriage...The style and presentation is semi-formal and accessible to the average reader and researches interested in the subject...Professor Batabyla certainly deserves congratulations on this seminal contribution to a valuable subset within social sciences and economics.
- Fathali Firoozi, University of Texas at San Antonio, Indian Economic Review
Chapter 1 Dedication
Chapter 2 List of Tables
Chapter 3 Foreword
Chapter 4 Preface
Chapter 5 Acknowledgements
Chapter 6 1. Introduction to Stochastic Models of Decision in Arranged Marriages
Chapter 7 2. Aspects of Arranged Marriages and the Theory of Markov Decision Processes
Chapter 8 3. A Dynamic and Stochastic Analysis of Decision Making in Arranged Marriages
Chapter 9 4. On Decision Making in Arranged Marriages with a Stochastic Reservation Quality Level
Chapter 10 5. Spouse Selection in Arranged Marriages: An Analysis of Time Invariant and Time Variant Decision Rules
Chapter 11 6. On the Likelihood of Finding the Right Partner in Arranged Marriages
Chapter 12 7. Meetings and Exposure Before an Arranged Marriage: A Probabilistic Analysis
Chapter 13 8. Arranged or Love Marriage?: That is the Question
Chapter 14 9. On Strategy and the Likelihood of Success in Marital Matchmaking Under Uncertainty
Chapter 15 10. A Game Model of Dowry Determination in an Arranged Marriage Context
Chapter 16 Index
Chapter 17 About the Author