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The (Conditional) Resource Dilution Model: State- and Community-Level Modifications

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  • Benjamin G. Gibbs

    (Brigham Young University)

  • Joseph Workman

    (University of Oxford)

  • Douglas B. Downey

    (Ohio State University)

Abstract

One of the most consistent patterns in the social sciences is the relationship between sibship size and educational outcomes: those with fewer siblings outperform those with many. The resource dilution (RD) model emphasizes the increasing division of parental resources within the nuclear family as the number of children grows, yet it fails to account for instances when the relationship between sibship size and education is often weak or even positive. To reconcile, we introduce a conditional resource dilution (CRD) model to acknowledge that nonparental investments might aid in children’s development and condition the effect of siblings. We revisit the General Social Surveys (1972–2010) and find support for a CRD approach: the relationship between sibship size and educational attainment has declined during the first half of the twentieth century, and this relationship varies across religious groups. Findings suggest that state and community resources can offset the impact of resource dilution—a more sociological interpretation of sibship size patterns than that of the traditional RD model.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin G. Gibbs & Joseph Workman & Douglas B. Downey, 2016. "The (Conditional) Resource Dilution Model: State- and Community-Level Modifications," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(3), pages 723-748, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:53:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s13524-016-0471-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-016-0471-0
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    3. Mari, Gabriele, 2023. "Less for more? Cuts to child benefits, family adjustments, and long-run child outcomes in larger families," SocArXiv e3n82, Center for Open Science.
    4. Philipp M. Lersch, 2019. "Fewer Siblings, More Wealth? Sibship Size and Wealth Attainment," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 35(5), pages 959-986, December.
    5. Tim Riswick & Ying-Hui Hsieh, 2020. "Between rivalry and support: The impact of sibling composition on infant and child mortality in Taiwan, 1906‒1945," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(21), pages 615-656.
    6. Seongsoo Choi & Riley Taiji & Manting Chen & Christiaan Monden, 2020. "Cohort Trends in the Association Between Sibship Size and Educational Attainment in 26 Low-Fertility Countries," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(3), pages 1035-1062, June.
    7. Shuang Chen, 2020. "Parental Investment After the Birth of a Sibling: The Effect of Family Size in Low-Fertility China," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(6), pages 2085-2111, December.
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    9. Menghan Zhao & Yang Zhang, 2019. "Parental childcare support, sibship status and mothers’ second-child plans in urban China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(47), pages 1315-1346.
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    11. Gabriele Mari, 2024. "Less for more? Cuts to child benefits, family adjustments, and long-run child outcomes in larger families," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-27, June.
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