Testing and clarifying a macro model of socioeconomic change and fertility

Macroscopic analysis of human fertility: theoretical methodological assessments

“…Two important studies at a macro level were done at Iowa State University (Chang, Warren, and Pendleton, 1979;Chang and Pendleton, 1978); their results together can support the notion of cultural context. Chang et al (1979) in a cross-section analysis tested a macro-model of socioeconomic change and fertility using the path analysis technique for one hundred countries.…”

“…A number of research studies (Weintraub, 1962;Adelman, 1963;Heer, 1966;Ekanem, 1972;Massey and Tedrow, 1976:435) support a relationship in which fertility decline responds to mortality decline. Other studies have not discovered such a relationship (Knodel and Van de Walle, 1979;Coale, 1970;Chang et al, 1979 ;Janowitz, 1971Janowitz, , 1973aJanowitz, , 1973b. A critical examination of the demographic literature led Preston (1978) to oppose the postulate of demographic transition, concluding that mortality levels at either macro or micro levels of analysis cannot explain fertility rates and that declining mortality levels are not a factor leading to adoption of fertility control (Runstadter, 1979:71;Chang et al,, 1979:45).…”

“…The causal order of these antecedents and their interrelationships have been discussed by Heer (1966), Beaver (1975), Shin (1977), Mauldin and Berelson (1978), and Chang et al (1979). It is evident from reviewing the literature that most of the research being done presently orders its propositions in an inventory of determinants and a result in theory construction format (See Zetterberg, 1965:88, for ordering sociological propositions).…”

“…The theory of demographic transition postulates that economic development is negatively related to fertility (Thompson, 1929;Notestein, 1945;Blacker, 1947;Coale and Hoover, 1958), but some empirical studies have found a positive relationship between economic development and fertility (Weintraub, 1962;Adelman, 1963;Heer, 1966;Janowitz, 1973a;Bhattacharyya, 1975;Chang et al, 1979). Further, the need for further studies can be seen in the following ;…”

“…Chang et al (1979) in a cross-section analysis tested a macro-model of socioeconomic change and fertility using the path analysis technique for one hundred countries.…”