'This is an extremely useful collection of essays by economists on the family that will be of great value to all those social scientists who would like to have a ready reference to the way in which the debates over the new economics of the family have developed since the 1970s. The book provides an excellent guide to the ways in which economic explanation in this complex area has developed in relation to a number of different fields of inquiry, including fertility decline, intergenerational transfers and intra-household allocations.'