Urbanization, fertility and child education in Sub-Saharan Africa

TY - JOUR

T1 - Urbanization, fertility and child education in Sub-Saharan Africa

AU - Flückiger, Matthias

AU - Ludwig, Markus

PY - 2017/6/9

Y1 - 2017/6/9

N2 - Using individual-level survey data, we show that the urbanization process in today's Sub-Saharan Africa is associated with the fertility transition and increased investment in child education. This is consistent with the experience of the Western economies during their transition from a (post-)Malthusian towards a modern growth regime. The use of individual-level data allows us to analyze structural rural–urban differences, holding constant age and regional characteristics which are potentially confounding factors in regional- and country-level regressions.

AB - Using individual-level survey data, we show that the urbanization process in today's Sub-Saharan Africa is associated with the fertility transition and increased investment in child education. This is consistent with the experience of the Western economies during their transition from a (post-)Malthusian towards a modern growth regime. The use of individual-level data allows us to analyze structural rural–urban differences, holding constant age and regional characteristics which are potentially confounding factors in regional- and country-level regressions.

KW - Fertility

KW - Human capital

KW - Mortality

KW - Structural transition

KW - Urbanization

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020804891&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.econlet.2017.05.024

DO - 10.1016/j.econlet.2017.05.024

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85020804891

SN - 0165-1765

VL - 157

SP - 97

EP - 102

JO - Economics Letters

JF - Economics Letters

ER -