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Economic conditions and birth spacing in Colombia: a semi-parametric approach

Author

Listed:
  • Blanca Zuluaga

    (Universidad Icesi)

  • Luis Jaramillo

    (Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano)

  • Luis Gamboa

    (Universidad Icesi)

Abstract

This document aims to provide evidence on the association between economic conditions and household fertility decisions related to birth spacing by using a Cox proportional hazards model. The contribution of the paper is twofold: first, it adds to the scarce existing literature on this topic for Latin America by offering evidence for Colombia; second, local heterogeneity in economic performance is considered by using regional economic growth as a shock potentially modifying household decisions. We find that better economic performance is associated with reductions in birth spacing. Thus, it seems that demand for children might be procyclical, an income effect predominating; however, when good conditions persist, demand for children decreases, suggesting the dominance of a substitution effect. An alternative interpretation is simply that economic growth increases the probability of having children, automatically reducing the risk after the boom.

Suggested Citation

  • Blanca Zuluaga & Luis Jaramillo & Luis Gamboa, 2017. "Economic conditions and birth spacing in Colombia: a semi-parametric approach," Lecturas de Economía, Universidad de Antioquia, Departamento de Economía, issue 87, pages 97-123, Julio - D.
    • Handle: RePEc:lde:journl:y:2017:i:87:p:97-123
    DOI: 10.17533/udea.le.n87a04
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    survival analysis; Cox proportional hazards model; birth spacing; fertility decisions; Colombia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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