Some theoretical and methodological comments on the impact of policies on fertility
Journal: Vienna Yearbook of Population Research
Volume: 2008, pages 25-28
Publisher: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
DOI: 10.1553/populationyearbook2008s25
Anne H. Gauthier (1)
(1) Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada. Email: gauthier@ucalgary.ca
Abstract
Theoretically, and for reasons that I will shortly summarise in this presentation, there are strong reasons to expect policies to have a positive impact on fertility. Empirically, however, the evidence regarding the potential impact of policies of fertility is less clear cut. While numerous studies do indeed show a positive impact of policies, there is no consensus regarding the actual magnitude of the impact, nor about its short- or medium-term nature (Gauthier 2007). What I want to do in this presentation is consequently to reflect on the results from empirical studies by raising a number of theoretical and methodological issues.