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The Impact of Socio-economic Factors on Fertility Behaviour: A Cross-country Analysis

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  • Rehana Siddiqui

    (Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad.)

Abstract

International comparisons of fertility behaviour are based on two crucial assumptions. First, it is assumed that the response of fertility rates to socio-economic factors is similar across different age-cohorts of female population in the reproductive age-group. Second, it is assumed that country-specific effects do not influence the parameter estimates of the fertility model. Recent availability of cross-country data for a number of years allows us to pool data for more than 100 countries for the period 1955–1985 and estimate the fertility model. The results show that the impact of socio-economic factors differs across different age-cohorts; particularly, the negative impact of improvements in female status on the fertility rates is higher among the younger age-cohorts. Similarly, our results show that cross-country differences affect fertility rates significantly. However, the differences tend to diminish as countries become more developed. These results indicate that not only cross-country differences but also the changes in age-composition of female population should be taken into account in formulating the policies to control fertility and population growth. Furthermore, improvements in female literacy turn out to be the most effective tool to control population growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Rehana Siddiqui, 1996. "The Impact of Socio-economic Factors on Fertility Behaviour: A Cross-country Analysis," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 35(2), pages 107-128.
    • Handle: RePEc:pid:journl:v:35:y:1996:i:2:p:107-128
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    File URL: http://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/PDR/1996/Volume2/107-128.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ansley J. Coale, 1984. "The Demographic Transition," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 23(4), pages 531-552.
    2. Robert J. Barro, 1991. "Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(2), pages 407-443.
    3. Stanley Friedlander & Morris Silver, 1967. "A quantitative study of the determinants of fertility behavior," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 4(1), pages 30-70, March.
    4. Drakatos, Constantine G, 1969. "The Determinants of Birth Rate in Developing Countries: An Econometric Study of Greece," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 17(4), pages 596-603, July.
    5. Robert Summers & Alan Heston, 1988. "A New Set Of International Comparisons Of Real Product And Price Levels Estimates For 130 Countries, 1950–1985," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 34(1), pages 1-25, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nadeem Ul Haque & Musleh-ud Din & Lubna Hasan, 2007. "Research at PIDE: Key Messages," PIDE Books, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, number 2007:2.
    2. V.A. Ceccato, 2000. "Assessing the Impact of Modernization on Fertility: The Case of Mozambique," Working Papers ir00052, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.

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