Fertility in development countires : an economy perspective on research and policy

The search by Third World nations for ways of transforming their impoverished societies into relatively prosperous modern nations is one of the great dramas of our era. Among observers of the process, the role of rapid population growth in preventing or inhibiting the achievement of higher standards of living in the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America is much debated. Despite a decline in mortality both greater and more rapid than that experienced in the con temporary industrial countries and despite considerable increases in the per capita income, fertility has remained high in many developing countries, often high enough to be partly responsible for reducing economic gains below their potential. What factor or factors are responsible for the persistence of high fertility in the Third World?

In exploring the determinants of fertility in developing countries largely from an economic perspective, this volume adds an important contribution to fertility literature which mostly contains analyses of a demographic type. With its emphasis on the policy relevance of fertility research, the volume provides important technical back ground material. Part I reviews the various theories that have been advanced to explain observed patterns in fertility behaviour. Part II explores important methodological issues, and Part III presents a series of empirical country studies from the Third World. Together, the three parts present a well-balanced window on a literature of great consequence. What are the regularities that explain fertility levels in different parts of the world? Do people see that the number of children they produce has consequences for other parts of their lives, and so do they deliberately plan their family size? Is fertility influenced by the troubling persistence of high infant and child mortality, by great disparities in income distribution among families, and by the often degrading conditions of women? Such are the questions explored in this book.