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Does agglomeration discourage fertility? Evidence from the Japanese General Social Survey 2000–2010

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  • Keisuke Kondo

Abstract

This study employs Japanese household-level data to quantify the extent to which congestion diseconomy in large cities affects married couples’ fertility behavior. The theoretical model of this study emphasizes the importance of controlling for preference heterogeneity in the demand for children. The baseline quantification shows that, all else equal, a 10-fold difference in city size generates a spatial variation of −22.13% in the average number of children born to couples aged 30 and a spatial variation of −6.07% at age 49. The narrowing of the gap suggests that the young married couples in larger cities delay childbearing.

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  • Keisuke Kondo, 2019. "Does agglomeration discourage fertility? Evidence from the Japanese General Social Survey 2000–2010," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 19(3), pages 677-704.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jecgeo:v:19:y:2019:i:3:p:677-704.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeg/lbx048
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    Cited by:

    1. Hiroshi Goto & Keiya Minamimura, 2015. "Geography and Demography: New Economic Geography with Endogenous Fertility," Discussion Paper Series DP2015-33, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    2. Hiroshi Goto & Keiya Minamimura, 2019. "Geography and Demography: New Economic Geography with Endogenous Fertility," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 70(4), pages 537-568, December.
    3. Li, Xiaoyin & Winters, John, 2024. "Fertility Divergence across Large and Small Areas," ISU General Staff Papers 202402081437060000, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fertility; agglomeration; spatial distribution; social survey;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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