Subjective expecations of husbands and wives and couples' decision-making under uncertainty

Many decisions are taken jointly by multiple individuals. When outcomes are uncertain, decision-makers may have different subjective expectations (“beliefs”) about the consequences of different choices. We develop a tractable empirical framework for identifying the relative influence of joint decision-makers’ beliefs without assuming Pareto optimality when beliefs differ. We apply the framework to contraceptive choices in Nigeria, examining the relative weight couples place on wives’ versus husbands’ beliefs. We find that spouses have different subjective expectations, and that the weight placed on each spouse’s beliefs varies across domains. Therefore, the optimal targeting of information interventions to husbands or wives is domain-dependent.