New book on divorce economics and reform -1/5/99

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from: Smart Marriages

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Divorce/Marriage Statistics - http://www.divorcereform.org/stats.html
I have recently learned about a comprehensive new book on the causes and 
effects of divorce, and the possibilities for reform. The author has been 
working for years on the economic and sociological aspects of divorce. He 
did not ask me to tell anyone about the book, but I thought I would send 
you the information about it from the publisher's web site.
-John Crouch

Good Intentions Gone Awry: No-Fault Divorce and the American Family  
By Allen M. Parkman 
$22.95	Paper	0-8476-9869-6	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.	January 
2000	240pp
$60.00	Cloth	0-8476-9868-8	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.	January 
2000	240pp

Based on sociological and economic analysis, Good Intentions Gone Awry: 
No-Fault Divorce and the American Family presents valuable new insights 
into the impact of divorce on American society. Rather than blaming the 
deterioration in the quality of family life on the decline in so-called 
"family values", lawyer and economist Parkman argues that adults are 
responding to the incentives created by new opportunities and legal 
rules. 

He asserts that no-fault divorce statutes, which often allow either 
spouse to dissolve a marriage with only limited consideration for or 
compensation to their spouse and children, have had a central role in 
altering these incentives by reducing the motivation for adults to make a 
long-term commitment to their family or other concessions that would 
otherwise benefit marriage.

 The resulting inordinate emphasis placed by adults on their career and 
best interests rather than the best interests of their family have 
contributed to the decline in marriage often with disastrous effects for 
adults and their children. Parkman discusses the issues surrounding this 
sociological phenomena, proposes a reform program in response, and 
suggests steps that adults can take to create a durable and constructive 
family until such reforms occur. 

"An intelligent, lucid, and up-to-date review and analysis of divorce law 
in America, with some proposed changes in the law that deserve serious 
consideration."-David Popenoe, Rutgers University, author of Life Without 
Father  

"This is an engaging, detailed, balanced, and provocative book that 
anyone interested in understanding divorce should read. Alan Parkman 
shows why the humane intentions behind no-fault divorce failed. Good 
Intentions Gone Awry applies the perspective of an economist to the issue 
of divorce. Parkman argues that current divorce laws create incentives 
that induce adults to make decisions that are against their own best 
interest as well as those of their family. "-Steve Nock, University of 
Virginia  

"This is a really excellent book. It is a testament to the power of 
economic reasoning. It documents the negative consequences of the modern  
no-fault  divorce revolution, and explains clearly and simply why these 
outcomes are just what economic theory would predict. The author makes a 
strong case for reforming the existing law and making divorce conditional 
on the mutual consent of both husband and wife. This book should be 
required reading for academics, judges and law-makers in both North 
America and elsewhere."-Robert Rowthorn, Cambridge University  
Table of Contents 

*	Introduction 
*	Marriage and Divorce Laws 
*	The Economics of Marriage and Divorce 
*	The Introduction of No-Fault Divorce Statutes 
*	The Impact of No-Fault Divorce 
*	The Reform of No-Fault Divorce 

About The Author
Allen M. Parkman is the Regents' Professor of Management at the 
University of New Mexico. His articles on the family have appeared in 
numerous journals, including theAmerican Economic Review, 
theInternational Review of Law and Economics, theFamily Law Quarterly, 
and theABA Journal. 

The book can be ordered from the publisher at 
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db
=../CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=0847698696

(If the URL has a return in the middle of it as it appears in your e-mail 
program, it should be deleted before double-clicking or pasting it into a 
web browser.)

___________
John Crouch
Americans for Divorce Reform: http://www.divorcereform.org
1300 N. Utah St.
Arlington, Virginia 22201
divorcereform at usa.net

President: Colleen Fannin Arnold
Vice-President: Jenny Choo
Executive Director: John Crouch (703) 528-6700, Fax (703) 522-9107

Divorce Reform Page: http://patriot.net/~crouch/divorce.html
Divorce Statistics Collection: http://www.divorcereform.org/stats.html
Model Divorce Reform Act: http://patriot.net/~crouch/act/
Divorce Reform Quotations: http://patriot.net/~crouch/quotes.html
Current Divorce Grounds of Every State: 
http://patriot.net/~crouch/50states/
Covenant Marriage Page: http://www.divorcereform.org/cov.html
Divorce Reform Discussion Board: 
http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/mbs.cgi/mb779615

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