Fertility in Developing Countries

13 Pages Posted: 11 May 2007

See all articles by T. Paul Schultz

T. Paul Schultz

Yale University - Economic Growth Center; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Date Written: May 2007

Abstract

The associations between fertility and outcomes in the family and society have been treated as causal, but this is inaccurate if fertility is a choice coordinated by families with other life-cycle decisions, including labour supply of mothers and children, child human capital, and savings. Estimating how exogenous changes in fertility that are uncorrelated with preferences or constraints affect others depends on our specifying a valid instrumental variable for fertility. Twins have served as such an instrument and confirm that the cross-effects of fertility estimated on the basis of this instrument are smaller in absolute value than their associations.

Keywords: Fertility Determination, Malthus, Household Demands, Fertility Effects

JEL Classification: D13, J13, N30, O15

Suggested Citation

Schultz, T. Paul, Fertility in Developing Countries (May 2007). Yale University Economic Growth Center Discussion Paper No. 953, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=985363 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.985363

T. Paul Schultz (Contact Author)

Yale University - Economic Growth Center ( email )

Box 208269
New Haven, CT 06520-8269
United States
203-432-3620 (Phone)
203-432-5591 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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