The Logic of Rising Rural Bride Prices in the Context of Digital Inclusive Finance Development:A Bilateral Analysis of Asking Bride Prices and Payments in the Marriage Market
The contradiction between the frequent formulation of rural bride price governance policies and the persistent increase in bride price underscores the urgent need to enhance govern-ance effectiveness,necessitating a reevaluation of the causes.behind the rising trend of rural bride prices in the context of the current era.Anchored in the perspective of digital inclusive finance,this study constructed a bilateral analysis framework for asking bride prices and payments in the marriage market and examined the impact of digital inclusive finance on the increasing trend of rural bride prices.The findings reveal that the development of digital inclusive finance contributes to the rise in rural bride prices,and its breadth of coverage,depth of use,and degree of digitali-zation play facilitating roles.This effect is more pronounced in areas with high-speed rail access,Confucian temples,dialect diversity,and strong mercantile cultures.Digital inclusive finance pro-motes an increase in bride prices by enhancing the likelihood of rural unmarried men and women marrying within the same county,elevating the pre-marital occupational status of women,facilita-ting the transfer of bride prices,and increasing the probability of anonymity in matchmaking chan-nels.The resultant rise is essentially a rational increase driven by external changes affecting be-havioral decision constraints.The unilateral rejection by some local governments of the rise in ru-ral bride prices and a lack of critical reflection on the components of this increase have led to governance biases,including reliance on cultural governance,arbitrary limitations on bride prices,and the promotion of zero bride price policies.Policymakers should focus on irrational increases while supporting vulnerable groups affected by rational increases driven by factors such as digital inclusive finance.
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