Policies and Fertility: Pronatalist vs. Structural Approaches

Daniele Vignoli () and Raffaele Guetto ()
Additional contact information
Daniele Vignoli: University of Florence

Chapter Chapter 3 in Advances in Social Demography, 2025, pp 39-55 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter examines the policies/fertility nexus in Italy, a country known for its persistently low fertility rates, often attributed to its familistic and sub-protective welfare state. Italy’s “lowest-low” fertility regime diverges significantly from the fertility aspirations of individuals, creating a substantial gap between desired and actual fertility—an area ripe for policy intervention. We explore the role of policies in influencing fertility by considering both “pronatalist” measures (e.g., financial incentives, such as baby bonuses or tax breaks) and “structural” approaches (e.g., access to childcare, stable employment, and adequate housing). The chapter reflects on key theoretical and methodological challenges in understanding the policy/fertility relationship and reviews recent empirical evidence specific to Italy. Drawing on well-established micro-level research and findings from experimental studies, our analysis rejects the exclusive reliance on pronatalist policies to address low fertility. Instead, we advocate for a more comprehensive structural approach, emphasizing social policies that promote youth independence throughout their life course. In addition, medically assisted reproduction is likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping Italy’s fertility landscape.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ssdmcp:978-3-031-89737-5_3

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031897375

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-89737-5_3

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in The Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().