Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship between levels of fertility, on the one hand, and levels of mortality and morbidity among women and children, on the other. As a consequence of information accumulated by the World Fertility Surveys and more recently by the Demographic and Health Surveys, a great deal has been learned over the past 20 years regarding the linkages between fertility and health in developing countries. Our task in this chapter is first to weigh the evidence that has been accumulated, and then to consider its implications for government investments in family planning programs. That is, we shall ask whether family planning programs can be justified in terms of their health benefits for women and children, these benefits being derived from changes in the level, timing and spacing of fertility.
Portions of this paper were adapted from C. Lloyd (1994), “Investing in the next generation: Implications of high fertility at the level of the family,” in R. Cassen (ed.) Population and Development: Old Debates and New Conclusions, Washington, D.C.: Overseas Development Council.
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Montgomery, M.R., Lloyd, C.B. (1996). Fertility and Maternal and Child Health. In: Ahlburg, D.A., Kelley, A.C., Mason, K.O. (eds) The Impact of Population Growth on Well-being in Developing Countries. Population Economics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03239-8_3
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