Message: Good Times Score

My comments on this news:

As predicted by the fertility opportunity hypothesis, perception of  improving economic opportunity leads to acceptance of larger family size and higher fertility rates. The effect is usually self-limiting because, within a couple decades, the larger labor supply tends to damp wage increases.

The relationship between perceived prosperity and the fertility rate holds equally well in industrialized and less developed societies. Foreign aid and other externally-driven development schemes as well as generous welfare programs are often misunderstood.  If they are perceived as promising continuing streams of aid, the result is likely to be higher fertility rates. The ensuing population growth may defeat the original purpose of aid, alleviation of poverty