It’s hard to repeal the economic law of supply and demand. In many parts of the world, the family of the bride has to pay a dowry to obtain a suitable husband. But in a role reversal, men returning from war in South Sudan have to pay to obtain a suitable wife! From BusinessWeek:
Like many countries, South Sudan, which won its independence on July 9, is grappling with inflation. Only here the rise in costs is measured in the cattle needed to pay the bride price—what a young man gives a young woman’s family for her hand in marriage. It’s a reversal of the dowry payment by the bride’s family, a practice once widespread in the West.
With hostilities over, thousands of men have returned home, driving bride prices up 44 percent since 2005.
It’s not just financial markets that adjust for supply and demand—all kinds of changes are reflected in prices. Price is worth paying attention to, especially when it is different from normal expectations.
