Rural exodus and fertility at the time of industrialization

Thomas Baudin and Robert Stelter

No 2016020, LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES from Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES)

Abstract: We propose a unified model of economic growth where people decide not only about fertility and education but also whether or not to migrate to the city or alternatively to the countryside. Using the simulated method of moments and an original set of Danish data, we calibrate our model to evaluate the relative contributions of the rural exodus and mortality reductions to economic growth and the fertility transition. We find, in line with Galor (2005), that the reduction of infant mortality has not been a major driver of the Danish economic takeoff while the rural exodus, complementing technological progress, has been a workhorse of the economic and demographic revolution of Denmark.

Keywords: Demographic transition; Industrialization; Rural exodus; Mortality differentials; Fertility differentials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J11 J13 O41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 68
Date: 2016-09-21
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gro and nep-lab
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ctl:louvir:2016020

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