Endogenous Population in a Land-Constrained Economy - Introduction and Summary

A short review of different types of motives in fertility decisions is given, followed by a discussion on the characteristics of societies where the insurance and producer goods motives are important. Three models investigating the effects of different types of policy interventions in such societies are reviewed. The policies analyzed include foreign aid, agricultural reform and exogenous reductions in child mortality. Recent trends in fertility patterns are riefly discussed.