The cultural transmission of the fertility transition: Evidence from internal migrations in 19th century France
France experienced a demographic transition earlier than richer and more educated countries. This presentation offers a novel explanation for this puzzle that emphasises the diffusion of culture and information through internal migration. It tests how migration affected fertility by building a decennial bilateral migration matrix between French regions for 1861–1911. The identification strategy uses exogenous variation in transportation costs resulting from the construction of railways. The results suggest the convergence towards low birth rates can be explained by the diffusion of low-fertility norms by migrants, especially by migrants to and from Paris.
Date:
25 May 2016, 13:00 (Wednesday, 5th week, Trinity 2016)
Venue:
Queen Elizabeth House, 3 Mansfield Road OX1 3TB
Venue Details:
Seminar Room 2
Speaker:
Hillel Rapoport (University of Paris 1 and Paris School of Economics)
Organising department:
Oxford Department of International Development
Organisers:
Robtel Neajai Pailey,
Yasser Moullan,
Jenny Peebles (University of Oxford, Oxford Dept of International Development)
Organiser contact email address:
imi@qeh.ox.ac.uk
Host:
International Migration Institute (University of Oxford)
Part of:
International Migration Institute Seminar Series
Topics:
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Jenny Peebles
