Fertility, volatility, and growth

• Published in: Economics letters Vol. 87; no. 3; pp. 347 - 353
• Main Authors: Pommeret, Aude, Smith, William T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.06.2005; Elsevier
• Series: Economics Letters
• Subjects: Birth rate; Correlation; Economic growth; Fertility; Mathematical methods; Modelling; Production; Risk; Stochastic growth; Technology; Volatility; Stochastic growth; Fertility; Volatility; D80; J13; O41

Empirically, growth rates are negatively correlated with birth rates; they are also correlated with production risk. We argue that these stylized facts are related and arise jointly from the decision of how many children to have in a risky environment.