How does the effect of child mortality reductions on fertility and education vary across educational systems? To answer this question, we develop an overlapping-generations model where altruistic parents care about both the number and human capital of their surviving children. We find that, under a private education system, if income is low initially, the economy converges to a Malthusian stagnation steady state. For a high level of initial income, the economy reaches a growth path in which children’s education rises and fertility decreases with income. In the growth regime under private education, exogenous shocks that lower child mortality are detrimental for growth: fertility increases and education declines. In contrast, under a public education system, the stagnation steady state does not exist, and health improvement shocks are no longer detrimental for growth. We therefore offer a new rationale for the introduction of public education.

Fioroni, T. (2009). Child mortality and fertility: public vs private education. JOURNAL OF POPULATION ECONOMICS, 23(1) [10.1007/s00148-009-0248-5].

Child mortality and fertility: public vs private education

FIORONI, Tamara
2009-01-01

Abstract

How does the effect of child mortality reductions on fertility and education vary across educational systems? To answer this question, we develop an overlapping-generations model where altruistic parents care about both the number and human capital of their surviving children. We find that, under a private education system, if income is low initially, the economy converges to a Malthusian stagnation steady state. For a high level of initial income, the economy reaches a growth path in which children’s education rises and fertility decreases with income. In the growth regime under private education, exogenous shocks that lower child mortality are detrimental for growth: fertility increases and education declines. In contrast, under a public education system, the stagnation steady state does not exist, and health improvement shocks are no longer detrimental for growth. We therefore offer a new rationale for the introduction of public education.
2009
Fioroni, T. (2009). Child mortality and fertility: public vs private education. JOURNAL OF POPULATION ECONOMICS, 23(1) [10.1007/s00148-009-0248-5].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/51710
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