Children are costly, but raising them may pay. The economic approach to fertility.

Autor/in	Werding, Martin
Titel	Children are costly, but raising them may pay. The economic approach to fertility. Gefälligkeitsübersetzung: Kinder sind teuer, ihre Aufzucht kann sich aber bezahlt machen. Die ökonomische Analyse der Fruchtbarkeit.
Quelle	In: Demographic research, (2014) 30, Art. 8, S. 253-276 PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1435-9871; 2363-7064
DOI	10.4054/DemRes.2014.30.8
Schlagwörter	Rational-Choice-Theorie; Generatives Verhalten; Kind; Fruchtbarkeit; Humankapital; Anreizsystem; Kosten; Rentabilität
Abstract	"Objective: This article provides a non-technical introduction to analyses of fertility which are based on a rational-choice paradigm and which acknowledge that raising children may have a strong impact on the well-being of parents that can be described in terms of costs and benefits. It surveys different types of economic fertility models which can be used to address a variety of research questions, and it also discusses some basic strengths and weaknesses of applying economic analyses in this particular field. Results: Starting from a seminal contribution by Becker (1960) which may have been of little use for applied research or for interdisciplinary work, the economic theory of fertility has unfolded a differentiated research program with indispensable contributions to the broader field of fertility research. Important features are the inclusion of (i) different bargaining positions and differing incentives of partners interacting in fertility choices; (ii) simultaneous decisions regarding labor force participation (as well as education) and fertility, and the role played by employers, labor market institutions, and other public interventions; (iii) the idea that children (or their 'human capital') are investment goods with various kinds of returns that may be dispersed over an extremely long period of time, are subject to enormous uncertainties, and are strongly influenced by the social context and, again, by public policies. Conclusions: Economic aspects and elements of economic models should be included in any large-scale attempt at understanding fertility behavior through interdisciplinary research. Improvements in the data infrastructure, which are only partly underway thus far, would be an important pre-requisite." (author's abstract).
Erfasst von	GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Mannheim
Update	2014/3