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The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia

Pauline Rossi and Mathilde Godard

No 19-069/V, Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers from Tinbergen Institute

Abstract: The old-age security motive for fertility postulates that people's needs for old-age support raise the demand for children. We test this widespread idea using the extension of social pensions in Namibia during the nineties. The reform eliminated inequalities in pension coverage and benefit across regions and ethnic groups. Combining differences in pre-reform pensions and dfferences in exposure across cohorts, we show that pensions substantially reduce fertility, especially in late reproductive life. This article provides the first quasi-experimental quantification of the old-age security motive. The results suggest that improving social protection for the elderly could go a long way in fostering fertility decline in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: Fertility; Old-age pensions; Social security; Africa; Difference-in-differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D15 H55 I38 J13 O15 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-09-20
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-age and nep-dem
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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https://papers.tinbergen.nl/19069.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia (2022) Downloads
Working Paper: The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia (2022) Downloads
Working Paper: The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia (2021) Downloads
Working Paper: The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia (2020) Downloads
Working Paper: The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia (2019) Downloads
Working Paper: The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia (2019) Downloads
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