Economics of Adoption
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of the economic theory of child adoption and empirical research on adoption in the United States. Using a model of supply and demand, the chapter begins with a description of a market framework for adoption services, which allows for understanding the role of economic incentives, policy, and “consumer” preferences in adoption decisions. The chapter then discusses the theory and empirical evidence on whether and how supply-side and demand-side factors influence adoptions, separately considering the markets for private domestic adoptions, international adoptions, and public foster care adoptions. Differences in supply and demand across the different markets, and shifts in supply and demand over time, can explain trends in the numbers of adoptions, differences in the cost of adoption, and differences in the characteristics of adoptive parents and adopted children across adoption markets.
Repository Citation
Brehm, Margaret. “Economics of Adoption.” In Research Handbook on Adoption Law, edited by Nigel Lowe and Claire Fenton-Glynn. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.
Publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication Date
4-25-2023
Department
Economics
Document Type
Book Chapter
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781800883260.00009
Notes
Chapter 4
Keywords
Adoption, Foster care, Child welfare, Tax incentives, Subsidies, Policy
ISBN
9781800883260
Language
English
Format
text
