An Empirical Test of a Neo-Malthusian Theory of Fertility Change

Abstract

Some neo-Malthusians regard fertility as being kept in check by scarcities and constraints and, conversely, as being raised by economic prosperity. Since outmigration to developed countries and the receipt of food aid from developed countries relax the constraints imposed by a country's carrying capacity, both will have a positive effect on fertility rates in developing countries. Moreover, better economic prospects will also raise fertility, all other things equal. This article provides an empirical test of these hypotheses derived from a neo-Malthusian theory of fertility change. The results fail to confirm the theory and often contradict it.

Effect of Women’s Status in Fertility Transition of Nepal

“…Statistics in the below table shows that there is strong negative correlation (-0.902927) between x and y variable, about 81.52% of the variation and strength is explained by y variable. Migration out of developing countries is generally associated with lower fertility rates (Neumayer, 2006) due to the gap of intercourse between spouses during the marital relation (Satyal, 2022). In this regard, Table 10 shows the relationship between dependent variable (y=TFR) and independent variables (x1-Female Labour migration, x2 GII) with regression coefficient.…”

Natural Resource Conflicts as a Struggle for Space: The Case of Mining in Tanzania

“…The conflict emerged as a result of forceful eviction of artisanal miners while clearing the Bulyanhulu site for large scale mining investment in 1996. In the process of evicting artisanal and small scale miners, it was reported that Kahama Mining Corporation Limited (KMCL) and government forces allegedly used bulldozers to bury alive over 50 artisanal and small scale minerswho refused to vacate the area they claimed to be legally theirs (Aminzade, 2013;Glynn, 2006;Mining Watch Canada, 2005;Bretton Woods Project, 2002;Nelson, 2002).This stemmed out of the fact that between 30,000 and 400,000 artisanal and small scale miners were working in the area since the 1980s and claimed to be the owners of the area (Mining Watch Canada, 2005). When KMCL acquired exploration rights in the area in the early 1990s and began processes of evicting thousands of artisanal miners, the artisanal and small scale miners were determined to defend their right to and ownership of the Bulyanhulu mining space which was now being threatened by the large scale miners.…”

The impact of extreme weather events on fertility preference and gender preference in Bangladesh

“…Disaster-induced shocks can also lead to lower fertility (Portner, 2001) because women are less interested in having children (Norris et al, 2002;Frankenberg et al, 2014). In addition, high infant mortality (Lutz et al, 2006;Neumayer, 2006;Sandberg, 2006) and perceived risk of infant mortality (Haq and Ahmed, 2019) are associated with the number of children that parents want to have a surviving child. The experience of loss and injury from EWEs, as well as recovery from the negative effects of EWEs (Haq, 2018), and the experience of family members or other community leaders with EWEs contribute to the perception of the possibility of losing one or more children in the future (Norris et al, 2002;Neria et al, 2008).…”