A Reformulation of the Economic Theory of Fertility

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 1988
Volume: 103
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-25

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Altruistic parents choose fertility and consumption by maximizing a dynastic utility function. The maximization implies an arbitrage condition for consumption across generations, and equality between the benefit from an extra child and the child-rearing cost. These conditions imply that fertility in open economies depends positively on the world's long-term real interest rate, the degree of altruism, and the growth of child-survival probabilities; and negatively on the rate of technical progress and the growth rate of social security. The growth of per capita consumption across generations depends on changes in the child-rearing cost, but not on interest rates or time preference.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:103:y:1988:i:1:p:1-25.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24