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Economic Complexity and Fertility. Insights from a Low Fertility Country

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This paper analyses the relationship between a new indicator of economic context, economic complexity (EC), and fertility change in Italian provinces for the period 2006–2015. We hypothesise that the level of EC is associated with fertility because it captures the capacity of a territory to innovate, grow, and create job options. The results illustrate a clear positive association between EC and fertility change across Italian provinces for the period considered, net of traditional fertility predictors. Those areas that stand at the frontiers of EC are also more likely to dominate and adapt to the negative consequences of globalisation.

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  • Niccolò Innocenti & Daniele Vignoli & Luciana Lazzeretti, 2020. "Economic Complexity and Fertility. Insights from a Low Fertility Country," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2020_03, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    • Handle: RePEc:fir:econom:wp2020_03
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    JEL classification:

    • F60 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - General
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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