Journal Article

Distal determinants of fertility decline

Canning, David, Mohanty, Sanjay K., Fink, Günther, Chauhan, Rajesh K.

2016

Overview

This paper aims to examine the association of female education, under-five mortality, and poverty in fertility reduction in the districts of India. Data from the census of India and large-scale population-based surveys are used. Difference-in-difference panel models are used to account for both initial conditions and contemporaneous changes in fertility reduction. While one-third of the districts have reached below replacement level of fertility, under-five mortality and poverty level have reduced by half from the initial level and the female literacy level has almost doubled, suggesting a remarkable degree of convergence across all distal determinants but only limited evidence of convergence for fertility. The single largest predictor of fertility reductions in the districts of India was initial TFR, followed by increase in female literacy, the initial female literacy level and reduction in under-five mortality. The effect of initial level of poverty on fertility reduction was 0.13, while that of reduction in poverty was -0.05.

• Publisher: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research,Max Planck Institut für Demografische Forschung
• Subject: Below replacement level / Birth control / Birth rates / Brazil / Censuses / Child mortality / Convergence / Demographics / Demography / Developing countries / district / Districts / Economic aspects / Economic growth / Educational aspects / Educational attainment / Family planning / Female fertility / female literacy / Females / Fertility / Fertility decline / Fertility rates / fertility transition / Health aspects / Income distribution / India / LDCs / Level of education / Literacy / Mortality / Population / Population policy / Poverty / Replacement level / Research Article / Socioeconomic factors / Socioeconomics / Sociology / Studies / under-five mortality / Women's education