Tests of Intrahousehold Resource Allocation Using a CV Framework: A Comparison of Husbands’ and Wives’ Separate and Joint WTP in the Slums of Navi-Mumbai, India

Abstract

Summary Husbands and wives from 422 households in the slums of Navi-Mumbai, India, were interviewed separately first and jointly thereafter in a contingent valuation framework to assess their individual and joint household willingness to pay (WTP) for malaria vaccines. Husbands’ and wives’ demand differed significantly when they were interviewed separately but not when they were interviewed jointly. The author rejects the common preference model and unified (bargaining) model of intrahousehold resource allocation. Researchers should consider the complexity of intrahousehold decision making when they conduct stated preference surveys, even in patriarchal societies.