Fertility Choice Under Child Mortality and Social Norms
8 Pages Posted: 8 Oct 2010 Last revised: 18 Jul 2011
Date Written: August 20, 2010
Abstract
A cornerstone of demographic transition theory is that declines in infant and child mortality plausibly explain the onset of fertility decline in most countries. Simple versions of the Barro-Becker model of fertility choice have trouble delivering this link. We propose an extension, the inclusion of societal norms regarding family size, which, even with logarithmic preference over surviving children, can generate this link.
Keywords: child mortality, fertility, demographic transition, social norms
JEL Classification: O40, I12, J11
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Population, Technology, and Growth: From the Malthusian Regime to the Demographic Transition
By Oded Galor and David N. Weil
-
By Oded Galor and David N. Weil
-
The Gender Gap, Fertility and Growth
By Oded Galor and David N. Weil
-
The Gender Gap, Fertility, and Growth
By Oded Galor and David N. Weil
-
By Gary D. Hansen and Edward C. Prescott
-
Natural Selection and the Origin of Economic Growth
By Oded Galor and Omer Moav
-
Natural Selection and the Origin of Economic Growth
By Oded Galor and Omer Moav
-
From Stagnation to Growth: Unified Growth Theory
By Oded Galor
-
From Stagnation to Growth: Unified Growth Theory
By Oded Galor
-
From Physical to Human Capital Accumulation: Inequality in the Process of Development
By Oded Galor and Omer Moav