INTRODUCTION
It is now widely accepted that Market Urban Economy is as much a social process as it is an territorial process. It transforms societal organizations, the role of the family, demographic structures, the nature of work, and the way we choose to live and with whom. It also modifies domestic roles and relations within the family, and redefines concepts of individual and social responsibility.
This diversity in living arrangements and family composition in Urban societies is also closely linked to shifts in the world of work—in the urban economy and in occupations. Not only does urbanization involve obvious changes in employment and working life, it alters the relationships between households (the collective units of consumption) and labor markets (the production sector). Individuals work and earn wages, but it is households (and families) that spend those earnings. Thus, the composition of families and households influences the changing well-being of the individuals in those households as much as the occupational status of its members.
Market Urban economics is broadly the economic study of urban areas; as such, it involves using the tools of economics to analyze urban issues such as crime, education, public transit, housing, and local government finance. More narrowly, it is a branch of microeconomics that studies urban spatial structure and the location of households and firms (Quigley 2008).
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARKET URBAN ECONOMY, FAMILY SIZE AND STRUCTURE AND WELFARE STATE
There is a relationship between the family (size & structure), nature of welfare state and economy. This is because the structure of the economy and social system to a large extent determine the welfare needs of a community – whether of a traditional farming or modern market economy. Take for examples, in some part of Nigeria where younger people get married to many wives at a younger age and give birth to many children as they can without birth control, this has a significant effect to their welfare needs. The pre-colonial Nigerian rural communities were examples also of a traditional farming community – they were basically rural and large family and were required to cope with farm work.
