Contraception and the Demographic Transition

Inspired by the historical English experience, we modify the Beckerian paradigm of fertility by incorporating costly, societal influence on contraception. Heterogeneous, generationally‐linked households choose between ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ contraception. The modern has a higher fixed but lower variable cost of averting childbirths. Initially the rich adopt the modern, which unleashes society‐wide diffusion. Eventually everyone switches, lowering fertility further and across households. Hastening the switch is falling child mortality. Quantitative experiments suggest contraception was a vital link between the historical mortality and fertility transitions, though not the latter’s proximate cause. Implications for more recent transitions are discussed

Biology · Demographic economics · Demographic transition · Economics · Environmental health · Falling (accident · Fertility · Political science · Population · Proximate and ultimate causation · Sociology · Transition (genetics · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Law · Medicine

• A contribution to the theory of economic development and the demographic transition

  Open Access•Luca Gori, Enrico Lupi et al.•Journal of Demographic Economics•2020

  Incluir item

• Urbanization, long-run growth, and the demographic transition

  Open Access•Jonathan J Adams•Journal of Demographic Economics•2022

  Incluir item

• Strategic Fertility, Education Choices, and Conflicts in Deeply Divided Societies

  Open Access•Emeline Bezin, Bastien Chabé-Ferret et al.•Journal of the European Economic…•2024

  Incluir item

• Development, fertility and childbearing age

  Open Access•Hippolyte D''Albi, Hippolyte d'Albis et al.•Journal of Economic Theory•2018

  Incluir item

• Economic Foundations of Contraceptive Transitions

  Open Access•Mahesh Karra, Jeffrey Wilde•Population and Development Review•2024

  Incluir item

• Exploring Al-‘Azl and Contemporary Contraceptive Practices

  Open Access•Neng Nurcahyati Sinulingga, Endah Rundika Pratiwi et al.•Pharos Journal of Theology•2025

  Incluir item

• Fertility versus productivity

  Open Access•James Foreman–peck, Peng Zhou•Journal of Population Economics•2020

  Incluir item

• Family Planning and Development

  Open Access•Tiago Cavalcanti, Georgi Kocharkov et al.•The Economic Journal•2021

  Incluir item

• Fertility and Social Interaction

  Hans‐peter Kohler, Hans-Peter Kohler•Fertility and Social Interaction•2001

  Incluir item

• Birth Control, Sex, and Marriage in Britain 1918-1960

  Kate Fisher•BIRTH CONTROL, SEX AND MARRIAGE…•2006

  Incluir item

• Changing Family Size in England and Wales

  Open Access•Ellen Garrett, Eilidh Garrett et al.•Changing Family Size in England…•2001

  Incluir item

• Fertility, Class and Gender in Britain, 1860–1940

  Open Access•Simon Szreter•Fertility, Class and Gender in…•1996

  Incluir item

• The Demography of Victorian England and Wales

  Open Access•Robert Woods, Bob Woods•Demography of Victorian England…•2000

  Incluir item

• The Demographic Transition

  Jean-Claude Chesnais•The demographic transition•1992

  Incluir item

• A Farewell to Alms

  Gregory Clark, G R Clark•Farewell to Alms•2007

  Incluir item

• A Treatise on the Family

  Gary S Becker•Treatise on the Family•1991

  Incluir item

• Accounting for Fertility Decline During the Transition to Growth

  Open Access•Matthias Doepke•Journal of Economic Growth•2004

  Incluir item

• How the West “Invented” Fertility Restriction

  Nico Voigtländer, Hans-Joachim Voth•American Economic Review•2013

  Incluir item

• Demographic and Economic Change in Developed Countries

  National Bureau of Economic National Bureau of Economic Research•Demographic and Economic Change…•1967

  Incluir item

• The Decline of Fertility in Europe

  Ansley Johnson Coale, Susan Cotts Watkins•Decline of Fertility in Europe•2017

  Incluir item

• Sexuality and Social Order

  Bonnie G Smith, Angus Mclaren•The American Historical Review•1984

  Incluir item

• The demographic transition

  Open Access•Oded Galor•Cliometrica•2012

  Incluir item

• Early twentieth-century Japanese worker saving

  Open Access•John James, John A James et al.•Cliometrica•2011

  Incluir item

• Household Bargaining and Excess Fertility

  Nava Ashraf, Erica Field et al.•American Economic Review•2014

  Incluir item

• The uncertain lifetime and the timing of human capital investment

  Open Access•Ṣebnem Kalemli‐Özcan, Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan•Journal of Population Economics•2007

  Incluir item

• Child mortality and fertility decline

  Open Access•Matthias Doepke•Journal of Population Economics•2005

  Incluir item

• Social norms and the fertility transition

  Open Access•Kaivan Munshi, Jacques Myaux•Journal of Development Economics•2005

  Incluir item

• Back to the basics

  Open Access•David Reher•Continuity and Change•1999

  Incluir item

• Sexuality and the Social Order

  Mary Jo Maynes, Angus Mclaren•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1984

  Incluir item

• Transformation of the French Demographic Landscape, 1806-1906

  Patrick Heuveline, Noël Bonneuil•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1999

  Incluir item

• How the World Survived the Population Bomb

  Open Access•David Lam•Demography•2011

  Incluir item

• Birth Control and the Population Question in England, 1877-1930

  Richard Allen Soloway•Studies in Family Planning•1982

  Incluir item

• An Economic Framework for Fertility Analysis

  Richard A Easterlin•Studies in Family Planning•1975

  Incluir item

• The Socioeconomic Return to Primary Schooling in Victorian England

  Open Access•Jason Long•The Journal of Economic History•2006

  Incluir item

• Do Highly Educated Women Choose Smaller Families

  Open Access•Moshe Hazan, Hosny Zoabi•The Economic Journal•2015

  Incluir item

• Intergenerational Transfers and the Fertility–Income Relationship

  Open Access•Juan Carlos Córdoba, Marla Ripoll•The Economic Journal•2016

  Incluir item

• Contraception as Development? New Evidence from Family Planning in Colombia

  Open Access•Grant Miller•The Economic Journal•2010

  Incluir item

• Cheap Children and the Persistence of Poverty

  Open Access•Omer Moav•The Economic Journal•2005

  Incluir item

• The World Economy

  Angus Maddison•Development Centre Studies The…•2003

  Incluir item

• A Treatise on the Family

  Gary S Becker•Population and Development Review•1992

  Incluir item

• The Effects of Fertility Intentions and Access to Services on Contraceptive Use in Tunisia

  Susan H Cochrane, Susan Cochrane et al.•Economic Development and Cultural…•1995

  Incluir item

• Coitus interruptusand the Control of Natural Fertility

  Gigi Santow•Population Studies•1995

  Incluir item

• Starting to Stop

  Wally Seccombe•Past & Present•1990

  Incluir item

• Two Successive Motivations for the Declining Birth Rate in the West

  Philippe Aries•Population and Development Review•1980

  Incluir item

• A History of Contraception

  J Richard Udry, Angus Mclaren•Population and Development Review•1991

  Incluir item

• Desired Fertility and the Impact of Population Policies

  Lant Pritchett, Lant H Pritchett•Population and Development Review•1994

  Incluir item

• The Population History of England 1541-1871. A Reconstruction

  Open Access•E A Wrigley, Richard S Schofield•Population•1982

  Incluir item