Low Fertility, Institutions, and their Policies

Synopsis

This volume examines teneconomically advanced countries in Europe and Asia that have experienceddifferent levels of fertility decline. It offers readers a cross-countryperspective on the causes and consequences of low birth rates and the differentpolicy responses to this worrying trend. The countries examinedare not only diverse geographically, historically, and culturally, but alsohave different policies and institutions in place. They include sixvery-low-fertility countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Spain,and Taiwan) and four that have close to replacement-level fertility (UnitedKingdom, Norway, Canada, and France). Although fertility hasgone down in all these countries over the past 50 years, the chapters examinethe institutional, policy, and cultural factors that have led some countries tohave much lower fertility rates than others. In addition, the final chapterprovides a cross-country comparison of individual perceptions about obstaclesto fertility, based on survey data, and government support for families. Thisbroad overview, along with a general introduction, helps put the specificcountry papers in context. As birth rates continueto decline, there is increasing concern about the fate of social welfaresystems, including healthcare and programs for the elderly. This book will helpreaders to better understand the root causes of such problems with itsinsightful discussion on how a country's institutions, policies, and cultureshape fertility trends and levels.

Copyright:

2016

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9783319329970

Publisher:

Springer International Publishing, Cham

Date of Addition:

09/30/16

Copyrighted By:

Springer

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Medicine

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.