Doctoral Dissertation: Evolutionary, Economic, and Demographic Determinants of "Dowry Inflation" in South India

随着印度经济的增长和发展，嫁妆越来越多，婚礼变得更加奢侈，以前不支付嫁妆的团体也开始采用这种做法。该项目将利用人类行为生态学和微观经济学理论的技术，调查印度南部班加罗尔嫁妆价格上涨的原因。它将专门测试一些关于经济因素、生育模式、父母投资和婚姻制度之间关系的假设。关于这些变量的调查数据将从班加罗尔四个内婚制社区的200名妇女中收集。这些社区在社会经济地位、教育程度和现代性程度方面有不同的人口概况。此外，还将就每个社区的社会和经济史以及婚姻安排和谈判过程进行有组织的采访。这个项目将有助于人类行为生态学的理论，并有助于我们理解影响跨文化婚姻实践的因素。

Abstract 0001523As the economy of India has grown and developed, dowries have increased, weddings have become more lavish, and groups that did not previously pay dowry have adopted the practice. Using techniques from human behavioral ecology and microeconomic theory, this project will investigate the causes of dowry inflation in Bangalore, South India. It will specifically test a number of hypotheses concerning the relationships between economic factors, fertility patterns, parental investment, and marriage systems. Survey data on these variables will be collected from 200 women in four endogamous communities in Bangalore. These communities have different population profiles regarding socioeconomic status, education, and degree of modernity. This will be supplemented with structured interviews on the social and economic history of each community, and the marriage arrangement and negotiation process. This project will contribute to theory in human behavioral ecology, and to our understanding of the factors shaping marriage practices cross-culturally.