Is Fertility a Leading Economic Indicator?

Kasey Buckles, Daniel Hungerman and Steven Lugauer

No 24355, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Many papers show that aggregate fertility is pro-cyclical over the business cycle. In this paper we do something else: using data on more than 100 million births and focusing on within-year changes in fertility, we show that for recent recessions in the United States, the growth rate for conceptions begins to fall several quarters prior to economic decline. Our findings suggest that fertility behavior is more forward-looking and sensitive to changes in short-run expectations about the economy than previously thought.

JEL-codes: E32 E37 J11 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-hpe, nep-lab and nep-mac
Note: CH EFG
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

Published as Kasey Buckles & Daniel Hungerman & Steven Lugauer, 2021. "Is Fertility a Leading Economic Indicator?," The Economic Journal, vol 131(634), pages 541-565.

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Journal Article: Is Fertility a Leading Economic Indicator? (2021)
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