Does Global Fertility and Cultural Transition Affect Human Development? The Neglected Role of the Demographic Transition

Chen, Jengher

doi:10.1007/s11205-012-0121-x

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Both measures have been natural logged to correct for skewed distribution, the data around 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005 are available in World Development Indicators as published by the World Bank. Following the latest re-conceptualization of the demographic transition as global fertility and cultural transition (Reher, 2004;Chen, 2012; see also Caldwell, 1993), an index of global fertility and cultural transition can be constructed using indicators of fertility, telephone mainlines and internet hosts. Fertility will be measured by total fertility rates which take into account the age structure factor and generally be considered a more refined measure.…”

Section: Methods Measures and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How does demographic transition create favorable conditions for population health? Following the latest works highlighting the importance of the demographic transition as a determinant of subsequent social, economic, and demographic developments (Dyson, 2011;Murphy, 2011;Reher, 2011), the current theoretical extension can be linked to some heuristic theorizing for re-conceptualizing demographic transition as global fertility and cultural transition (Reher, 2004;Chen, 2012; see also Caldwell, 1993). This theorizing highlights the essence of the demographic transition to imply global fertility transition, global societal forms transition, and global communication and diffusion of information and ideas for global cultural transition.…”

Section: Demographic Transition and Favorable Conditions For Populatimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of Global Fertility and Cultural Transition on Population Health: A Test of Competing Perspectives

Chen¹

2016

AASoci

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In this study, a crucial test of competing perspectives on structural determinants of population health has been conducted using the latest available data. These competing perspectives include income inequality thesis on income inequality as an unfavorable condition for population health, world polity theory on the role of international nongovernmental organizations as a favorable condition for population health, and importantly, a newly-formulated demographic transition thesis on how demographic transition as re-conceptualized as global fertility and cultural transition in creating favorable conditions for promoting population health. A panel analysis using random effects modeling and cross-tabulation for 65 less-developed countries over the period 1990-2010 strongly confirms the robust impact of global fertility and cultural transition on all indicators and an index of favorable conditions for population health and subsequent outcomes of population health, even controlling for the favorable condition effect of international nongovernmental organizations and the unfavorable condition effect of income inequality. Along with the process of the demographic transition, the index of favorable conditions for population health can be further applied to population health efforts and effectiveness evaluation (PHEEE) for less developed countries to gauge and predict health-related outcomes. Theoretical, empirical, and policy implications are further discussed.

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Section: Methods Measures and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Demographic Transition and Favorable Conditions For Populatimentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Global Fertility and Cultural Transition on Population Health: A Test of Competing Perspectives

Chen¹

2016

AASoci

Self Cite

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“…Thirdly, according to the SDT theory developed on the basis of sociological studies, cultural and ideational transition is the main cause of low fertility, which is marked by a decline in fertility to a level below the sub-replacement fertility level, as a result of a weakened traditional, family-oriented system. Supporters of the SDT theory believe that this is a transition of cultural orientation from materialism to post-materialism and, fundamentally, a change in the development goals and needs of human beings, namely, a shifting of individual values from material possessions to autonomy and self-expression [29].…”

Section: Theoretical Analysis and Research Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this regard, cultural and ideational transition, which influences fertility decisions, depends on the media of information flow and its dissemination in modern society, to some extent. Referring to the research by Chen [29], this paper uses global information flow and dissemination as the proxy variable of cultural and ideational transition. It is measured by mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people), Internet subscriptions (per 100 people), and households with internet subscriptions (%).…”

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confidence: 99%

Economic Uncertainty, Cultural and Ideational Transition, and Low Fertility

Wang

Zhong

2022

Sustainability

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Increased objective uncertainties, upward movement in the hierarchy of needs, and associated cultural and ideational transition are inherent to modern societies. These factors were previously treated as independent macro-shocks and studied separately, without regard for their interactions. In this paper, we provide an all-around framework to interpret fertility behavior and low fertility in developed economies, to compensate for the isolation of economic uncertainty from a cultural and ideational transition in previous empirical studies. In this regard, we conduct an empirical analysis of panel data of 34 OECD countries from 2000 to 2018, to discuss the impact of economic uncertainty on the fertility rate and the moderating effect of cultural and ideational transition on that impact. Below are our findings: (1) economic uncertainty significantly inhibits the fertility rate, and such an inhibiting effect is found to be underestimated after endogeneity is controlled; (2) according to heterogeneity analysis, the inhibiting effect of economic uncertainty on the fertility rate is stronger after the 2008 financial crisis and among low-income economies and countries where Confucianism is practiced; (3) a significant negative moderating effect of cultural and ideational transition on the relationship between economic uncertainty and fertility rate is observed, indicating that the inhibiting effect of structural dimensions that combine objective and subjective factors regarding the fertility rate may be self-reinforcing; and, (4) further tests show that economic uncertainty and cultural and ideational transition affect the fertility rate by means of the effect of delayed parenthood, the substitution of cohabitation for marriage, and fertility preferences. We find that fertility behavior is cumulatively affected by both economic uncertainty and cultural and ideational transition. This implies that reducing economic uncertainty and fostering a culture that encourages marriage and fertility are fundamental for increasing the fertility rate in China, a country resorting to the third-child policy to promote a fertility rebound.

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“…Social capital is another important factor affecting human development [33]. Scholars have also used various indicators of global fertility rate and cultural transition to prove that demographic transition has a significant impact on HDI [34]. Nourou used the relevant data of 74 developing countries from 1980 to 2012 to estimate the effects, and concluded that life expectancy decreased when food prices soared, but that HDI might not be significantly affected when food prices collapsed [35].…”

Section: Human Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Social Security Expenditure on Human Common Development: Evidence from China’s Provincial Panel Data

Song

Tong

2022

Sustainability

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With the rapid development of the social economy, human development has been greatly improved. However, the gap between rich and poor still exists, which restricts the further development of society. In order to study the relationship between social security expenditure and human common development, we constructed, for this paper, the Human Common Development Index, and made a regression analysis between social security expenditure and human common development. The results showed that, in China, obvious and remarkable progress has been made in human common development. There were differences between regions—high in the east and low in the west—but the gap between regions was narrowing. There was an inverted U-shaped relationship between social security expenditure and human common development. At present, social security expenditure per capita in most provinces has not reached the inflection point. The Chinese government should pay attention to the important role of social security, optimize social security expenditure, and improve the accuracy and effectiveness of social security expenditure. In addition, the Chinese government should also improve the urbanization rate and promote economic development.

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Does Global Fertility and Cultural Transition Affect Human Development? The Neglected Role of the Demographic Transition

Cited by 3 publications

References 68 publications

Effect of Global Fertility and Cultural Transition on Population Health: A Test of Competing Perspectives

Effect of Global Fertility and Cultural Transition on Population Health: A Test of Competing Perspectives

Economic Uncertainty, Cultural and Ideational Transition, and Low Fertility

The Impact of Social Security Expenditure on Human Common Development: Evidence from China’s Provincial Panel Data

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