Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids

By: Bryan Caplan

Synopsis: Caplan (economics, George Mason U. ) claims that modern parents are not having enough kids. A father himself, Caplan draws on recent research to show that heredity is a bigger factor than parenting in a child's life, and translates this into good news for parents: Whatever parents do, the kids will probably turn out OK! The book offers a parent's guide to behavioral genetics, with several chapters devoted to explaining current research in the field and its implications for parenting. Other reasons for having more kids: kids are safer now than in the 1950s, and more kids means more workers to keep Social Security and Medicare alive. The book concludes with selfish guidelines for want-to-be grandparents, and a final chapter reviewing fertility technology. The author is a blogger at one of the Wall Street Journal's Top 25 Economic Blogs. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)

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