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  3. American Economic Review
  4. May 2011
  5. Fertility and the Plough

Fertility and the Plough

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Abstract

This paper provides evidence that the form of agriculture traditionally practiced—intensive plough agriculture versus shifting hoe agriculture—affected historic norms and preferences about fertility, and that these norms persist, affecting observed fertility around the world today.

Citation

Alesina, Alberto, Paola Giuliano, and Nathan Nunn. 2011. "Fertility and the Plough." American Economic Review, 101 (3): 499-503. DOI: 10.1257/aer.101.3.499

JEL Classification

  • J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
  • O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
  • O17 Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
  • Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Social and Economic Stratification