The effect of neighbourhood mortality shocks on fertility preferences: a spatial econometric approach

Nkechi Owoo, Samuel Agyei-Mensah and Emily Onuoha

The European Journal of Health Economics, 2015, vol. 16, issue 6, 629-645

Abstract: According to the demographic transition theory, fertility rates fall in response to declines in child mortality rates. Although national statistics indicate that child mortality rates have been declining over time, Ghana’s fertility rates appear to have stalled. This paper hypothesises that women’s fertility behaviours may be more responsive to child mortality experiences at more localised levels. Using all rounds of the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys (1988–2008) and employing a variety of spatial and empirical estimation techniques, results indicate that in addition to own-child mortality, neighbourhood child mortality shocks are also a determinant of women’s fertility in Ghana. Women in neighbourhoods with large child mortality shocks may desire more children as an “insurance” against future losses, as a result of their increased perceptions of own-child mortality risks. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Keywords: Fertility intentions; Child mortality; Spatial econometrics; Neighbourhood shocks; Demographic transition; Ghana; D1; I1; J1; C4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:eujhec:v:16:y:2015:i:6:p:629-645

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DOI: 10.1007/s10198-014-0615-3

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