Intra-household decisions are of importance in achieving various development goals,
including investments in family public goods and the resultant developmental outcomes of
such investments, such as the attainment of education, improved health, and general family
well-being. The realisation of the development impacts of investments in family public goods
requires a proper understanding of gender dynamics, economic empowerment, and intergenerational
cooperation in intra-household decision-making. This thesis aims to determine
the role of intra-household decision-making in family public goods investments in South
Africa. The study employs South African survey data and conducts a framed field experiment
in two poor communities. Descriptive statistical analyses are employed to investigate
associations between key variables. In-depth analysis is conducted with the aid of regression
analysis. The first key finding in this study calls specifically for gender-based economic
empowerment policies. The study finds that gender inequality in economic bargaining power
within couples (heterogamy) and the broader adult population persists. Whereas women
dominate the role of financial and economic decision-maker, they do so mainly as secondary
decision-makers; another sign of gender inequality. However, when women are empowered
economically, their decision-making power increases, and concomitantly, expenditure on
family public goods. In fact, even when they are not economically empowered, expenditure
on family public goods increases when females wield the decision-making power. The
second finding argues more broadly for economic development policies and posits that
economically empowered men spend more on family public goods, and delegate economic
decision-making responsibility to their spouses, who in turn spend more on family public
goods. In the third instance, the endowment size effect observed in this study is important for
policy, given that the benefit of an economic opportunity for one family member of earning a
wage or receiving a social grant, cascades to other family members. The final finding is that
communication impacts positively on cooperation within extended inter-generational
families, and that joint decision-making; which is associated with greater expenditure on
food; requires communication to facilitate cooperation. This result calls for preventative and
developmental social work programmes focusing on promoting communication within
families, including training on parenting as well as marriage skills.