Demographic Transition and Fertility Dynamics Lecture Notes

Practice flashcards derived from the lecture notes covering key concepts related to demographic transitions, fertility dynamics, and population studies.

What does the Princeton Fertility Project investigate?

It investigates how development can explain the timing and location of fertility decline.

What is the Overall Fertility Index (I_f)?

The ratio of observed births to the number of births women would have if they experienced maximum fertility at each age.

How did the Princeton Fertility Project challenge the demographic transition theory?

It contested the idea that declines in infant mortality stimulated declines in marital fertility.

What is the First Demographic Dividend?

Occurs when falling fertility rates lead to a larger share of the population being of working age, resulting in economic growth.

Define the Second Demographic Dividend.

It occurs when falling mortality leads to increases in life expectancy and savings that promote economic growth.

What is the core premise of classical demographic transition theory?

Populations move from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as societies industrialize.

What are the key findings regarding marital fertility from the Princeton Fertility Project?

Marital fertility was lower than expected before the transition, and declines in marital fertility were more significant than changes in marriage.

What does the Wealth Flows theory propose regarding fertility decline?

It argues that fertility decline is related to changing benefits of children, with parents viewing them as less economically beneficial.

How does the Microeconomic model of fertility explain lower fertility rates?

Increased costs of child-rearing and urbanization, along with reduced benefits of fertility, lead to lower fertility rates.

What is meant by the term Procyclical Fertility?

Fertility rates that increase during economic upturns and decrease during downturns.

What is Countercyclical Fertility?

Fertility rates that decrease when the economy is doing well and increase during poor economic times.

What are major causes of the Second Demographic Transition?

Ideational change towards individual autonomy, gender equality, secularization, changing norms about sexuality, and economic development.

How do fertility gaps between ideal, intentions, and actual fertility arise?

They arise due to age, lack of economic resources, or economic pessimism.

What is the Fetal Origins hypothesis?

It posits that prenatal environmental exposures can have long-lasting effects on health and cognitive development.

What is the Preston curve?

It explains the relationship between a country's national income and life expectancy, indicating that richer countries tend to have better health.

What is the concept of morbidity compression?

The idea that the amount of life spent with a disability is concentrated into a shorter period just before death.

Describe the difference between genotype and phenotype.

Genotype refers to the genetic composition of an individual, while phenotype represents the observable characteristics resulting from the interaction of genes and environment.

Define the term 'migration aspirations versus mobility.'

Migration is affected by individuals' desires (aspirations) to migrate and their capabilities (ability) to do so.

What are pro-natal and anti-natal policies?

Pro-natal policies aim to increase fertility, while anti-natal policies aim to reduce fertility.

What does the term divergence of destinies refer to?

It refers to increasingly disparate outcomes for children born into high and low socioeconomic status families.

What is the role of education in population dynamics according to Lutz?

Lutz argues that education is crucial for labor productivity and economic growth, more than merely the size of the working-age population.

What is the relationship between climate change and infectious disease spread?

Climate change can affect disease spread by altering vector ranges, seasonal patterns, and increasing susceptibility among populations.