Does the Mortality Decline Promote Economic Growth?

Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan ()

Macroeconomics from EconWPA

Abstract: This paper analyzes qualitatively and quantitatively the e ects of declining mortality rates on fertility, education and economic growth. The analysis demonstrates that if individuals are prudent in the face of uncertainty about child survival, a decline in an exogenous mortality rate reduces precautionary demand for children and increases parental investment in each child. Once mortality is endogenized, population growth becomes a hump-shaped function of income per capita. At low levels of income population growth rises as income per capita rises leading to a Malthusian steady-state equilibrium, whereas at high levels of income population growth declines leading to a sustained growth steadystate equilibrium.

Keywords: Malthus; Survival Probability; Fertility; Education; Population Growth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O11 O40 I12 J11 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002-12-17
Note: Type of Document - Tex; prepared on IBM PC; to print on HP;
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Journal Article: Does the Mortality Decline Promote Economic Growth? (2002)
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wpa:wuwpma:0212008

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