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Strategic Fertility, Education Choices, and Conflicts in Deeply Divided Societies

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  • de la Croix, David
  • Bezin, Emeline
  • ,

Abstract

Fertility becomes a strategic choice when having a larger population helps to gain power. Minority groups might find it optimal to promote high fertility among their members - this is known as the "weapon of the womb" argument. If, in addition, parents have to invest resources to educate their children, a higher fertility for strategic motives might reduce their investment. Indonesian census data dispel this view, as minority religious groups do not invest less in education. If anything, they invest more in education, as well as in their number of children. This finding is consistent with human capital being an input to appropriation. Solving for the Nash equilibrium of a game between two groups with two strategic variables, we derive the condition under which the minority group displays a higher investment in both the quantity and quality of children. The material cost of conflict involved through the weapon of the womb mechanism is mitigated when human capital enters the contest function.

Suggested Citation

  • de la Croix, David & Bezin, Emeline & ,, 2018. "Strategic Fertility, Education Choices, and Conflicts in Deeply Divided Societies," CEPR Discussion Papers 13412, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:13412
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fertility; Quality-quantity trade-off; Minorities; Conflict; Population engineering; Human capital; Nash equilibrium; Indonesia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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