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Family Planning and Fertility Behavior: Evidence from Twentieth Century Malaysia

Author

Listed:
  • Kimberly Singer Babiarz

    (Stanford University)

  • Jiwon Lee

    (Pomona College)

  • Grant Miller

    (Stanford University
    NBER)

  • Tey Nai Peng

    (University of Malaysia)

  • Christine Valente

    (University of Bristol)

Abstract

There is longstanding debate about the contribution of family planning programs to fertility decline. Studying the staggered introduction of family planning across Malaysia during the 1960s and 1970s, we find modest responses in fertility behavior. Higher (but not lower) parity birth hazards declined by one-quarter—but imply only a 5 percent decline in the overall annual probability of birth. Age at marriage rose by 0.48 years, but birth spacing conditional on this did not otherwise change. Overall, Malaysia’s total fertility rate declined by about one quarter birth under family planning, explaining only about 10 percent of the national fertility decline between 1960 and 1988. Our findings are consistent with growing evidence that global fertility decline is predominantly due to underlying changes in the demand for children.

Suggested Citation

  • Kimberly Singer Babiarz & Jiwon Lee & Grant Miller & Tey Nai Peng & Christine Valente, 2017. "Family Planning and Fertility Behavior: Evidence from Twentieth Century Malaysia," Working Papers 470, Center for Global Development.
    • Handle: RePEc:cgd:wpaper:470
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    File URL: https://www.cgdev.org/publication/family-planning-and-fertility-behavior-evidence-twentieth-century-malaysia
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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