Education and Fertility: Panel Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa

Carolyn Chisadza and Manoel Bittencourt ()

No 201526, Working Papers from University of Pretoria, Department of Economics

Abstract: We study the effects of different levels of education on fertility in 48 sub-Saharan African countries between 1970 and 2010. The results, based on panel data analysis with fi?xed effects and instrumental variables, show how that lower education levels do not have a significant effect on people?s fertility decisions. However, the results from the higher education levels suggest otherwise. They are indicative of a region that is transitioning from the Malthusian epoch to a modern growth regime in which people substitute quantity for quality of children. Lower fertility implies less strain on public expenditure, higher human capital and higher productivity which can lead to sustained economic growth as witnessed in most developed regions today.

Keywords: education; fertility; sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I25 J13 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2015-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-dev, nep-edu, nep-fdg and nep-gro
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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