This article surveys models of endogenous growth which are based on the microeconomic theory of family behaviour. A special emphasis is placed on the suggested formalization of the preferences, demographic behaviour, investment in human capital, production technology, labour market, and heterogeneity of agents. The interaction between fertility and per capita growth of income via investment decisions in human capital and the cost of time constitute the recurrent element of these models. One major implication, is that the decline of fertility in the industrialised countries is more a consequence than a cause of development. Furthermore, the models suggest that policies which increase x cost per child, reduce the cost of education, stimulate accumulation of human capital, and encourage female activity raise the probability of development and contribute to a reduction of inequality. Additional re nements to the models might still prove worthwhile particularly regarding the representation of demographic behaviour. Only some account for intra-generational inequality, even though this is essential to understand the link between growth and income distribution. _________________________________ Cet article entreprend une revue de la littérature des théories de la croissance endogène offrant une représentation microéconomique de la famille. Une attention particulière est accordée aux différentes formalisations proposées pour modéliser les préférences, les comportements démographiques, l'investissement en capital humain, la technologie de production, le marché du travail et l'hétérogénéité des agents. L'interaction entre fécondité et croissance du produit par tête via l'investissement en capital humain et le coût du temps constitue l'élément récurrent de ces modèles. Ceux-ci suggèrent que le déclin de la fécondité dans les pays aujourd'hui industrialisés est plus une conséquence qu'une cause du développement. De plus ces travaux montrent qu'une politique qui augmente le coût fixe par enfant, réduit le prix de l'éducation, stimule l'accumulation de capital humain et encourage l'activité des femmes, augmentera la probabilité de développement et contribuera à réduire les inégalités. Ces modèles méritent d'être affinés particulierement en ce qui concerne la formalisation de la démographie. Peu de modèles prennent en compte l'inégalité intragénérationnelle, pourtant essentielle à la compréhension du lien entre croissance économique et distribution du revenu.
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Paper provided by DIAL (Développement, Institutions & Analyses de Long terme) in its series Working Papers with number
DT/2000/09.
Find related papers by JEL classification: D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth
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Gary S. Becker & Nigel Tomes, 1994.
"X. Human Capital and the Rise and Fall of Families,"
NBER Chapters,
in: Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education (3rd Edition), pages 257-298
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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Eckstein, Zvi & Stern, Steven & Wolpin, Kenneth I, 1988.
"Fertility Choice, Land, and the Malthusian Hypothesis,"
International Economic Review,
Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 29(2), pages 353-61, May.
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