Studies on fertility transition have several and well-known
shortcomings. Among the most relevant, are:
- most analyses rely upon aggregate data;
- interactions with changes in mortality patterns tend to be ignored;
- changes are measured on a relatively short - usually decadal - scale.
In my paper, I follow a different approach. Firstly, I ...
(Show more)Studies on fertility transition have several and well-known
shortcomings. Among the most relevant, are:
- most analyses rely upon aggregate data;
- interactions with changes in mortality patterns tend to be ignored;
- changes are measured on a relatively short - usually decadal - scale.
In my paper, I follow a different approach. Firstly, I use
longitudinal information at the individual level, drawn from
population registers. Secondly, I study reproduction rather than
fertility, taking into account the interaction of fertility with
mortality, and testing how the actual composition of surviving children
affected reproductive decisions. Finally, my analisys considers
an unusually long period, spanning from 1850 to 1950, and including
therefore the period before, during, and after the demographic
transition. Proximate determinants of fertility and their evolution
as a consequence of the transition are studied using an Event History
Analysis Approach.
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