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Abstract
This paper provides an updated review of the evidence on income pooling across household members. Income pooling is one
of the main predictions of the unitary model of the household. New studies come to much the same conclusion as do past
studies: income pooling and the unitary model are rejected. The paper then looks beyond the mere rejection of the unitary
model and explores some of the issues that arise. First, what is the progress in testing the restrictions imposed by non-unitary
models of the household? Second, what are the implications of rejection of the unitary model for policy and program design?
Finally, what are some of the challenges faced by programs and policies that internalize the rejection of income pooling in
terms of impact evaluation? © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.