Population Growth and Educational Policies: An Economic Perspective.

Dennis N. De Tray

Expert InsightsPublished 1975

A review and assessment of several recent micro-economic models of fertility which emphasizes the role of education as an influence on family size, and the applicability of such models to population problems in developing nations. The author concludes that: (1) although our knowledge of the mechanisms through which education influences fertility is incomplete, education is likely to be an effective policy instrument to influence family size in developing nations; (2) policies that directly influence a wife's wages, a couple's contraceptive behavior, and the early health and nutrition of children may be more effective and a quicker means of reducing family size than policies aimed at increasing adult education; and (3) the tradeoff that parents appear to make between the number of children they want and the investments they make in each child may well be an important key to middle- and longer-term population policy in developing nations. 54 pp. Bibliog.

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

De Tray, Dennis N., Population Growth and Educational Policies: An Economic Perspective. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1975. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5380.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.