Unit 3: Economic vs Cultural Diffusion of Fertility decline

Question 1

Revising the fertility transition in England: Social class and migration

Answer 1

marital net fertility = F(social class & lifetime migration)

Key findings
- People who migrated >10km had (a) higher social class and (b) lower fertility through postponement of marriage
- CW ratios varied significantly by social class: lower social classes -> high and persistent fertility, upper-middle class -> sharp fertility decline between 1851-1911.
- Spatial fertility patterns among lower social classes were more influenced by geography

Caveats: No robustness checks

Question 2

Culture and the historical fertility transition

Answer 2

Britain’s fertility decline was sharp in 1877. Authors posit that cultural transitions catalysed by the Bradlaugh-Besant trial resulted in sharp fertility declines in Britain and in culturally British populations. DID analysis using newspaper exposure.

Key findings
- General fertility decline despite higher/lower exposure to the trial
- Significant drop-off in births/woman without variation in marital rate.
- Cultural transmission mechanisms outside of economic incentives