Zusammenfassung:
The paper presents a theoretical model of a non-resident fathers child support and contact with his child, which combines the public good treatment of child-expenditure with trade in father-child contact-time. The model provides predictions concerning the effects of fathers income and binding child support orders on contact. Using new data from the British Household Panel Survey on frequency of contact of non-resident fathers with their dependent children, there is evidence that, among middle-income fathers, higher fathers income increases contact with his children. In the context of the theory, this suggests that setting a higher binding child support order would reduce fathers contact for these fathers.