The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia
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1 novembre 2022
- handle: 10670/1.975exv
- hal: hal-03922295
- doi: 10.1257/pol.20200466
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info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1257/pol.20200466
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
Mots-clés
Fertility Social security Old-age pensions Africa Difference-in-differences J - Labor and Demographic Economics/J.J1 - Demographic Economics/J.J1.J13 - Fertility • Family Planning • Child Care • Children • Youth D - Microeconomics/D.D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics H - Public Economics/H.H5 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies/H.H5.H55 - Social Security and Public Pensions I - Health, Education, and Welfare/I.I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty/I.I3.I38 - Government Policy • Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth/O.O1 - Economic Development/O.O1.O15 - Human Resources • Human Development • Income Distribution • Migration O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth/O.O5 - Economywide Country Studies/O.O5.O55 - AfricaSujets proches
Superannuation Pension plans Compensation Retirement pensions Fecundity Salaries, pensions, etcCiter ce document
Pauline Rossi et al., « The Old-Age Security Motive for Fertility: Evidence from the Extension of Social Pensions in Namibia », HAL-SHS : économie et finance, ID : 10.1257/pol.20200466
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Résumé
The old-age security motive for fertility postulates that people’s needs for old-age support raise the demand for children. We exploit the extension of social pensions in Namibia during the 1990s to provide a quasi-experimental quantification of this widespread idea. The reform eliminated inequalities in pension coverage and benefits across regions and ethnic groups. Combining differences in pre-reform pensions and differences in exposure across cohorts, we show that pensions substantially reduce fertility, especially in late reproductive life. The results suggest that improving social protection for the elderly could go a long way in fostering fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa. (JEL H55, I38, J13, J14, O15)