Disease and fertility: Evidence from the 1918-19 influenza pandemic in Sweden
(2021) In Economics and Human Biology 43.- Abstract
- What are the consequences of a severe health shock like an influenza pandemic on fertility? Using rich administrative data and a difference-in-differences approach, we evaluate fertility responses to the 1918–19 influenza pandemic in Sweden. We find evidence of a small baby boom following the end of the pandemic, but we show that this effect is second-order compared to a strong long-term negative fertility effect. Within this net fertility decline there are compositional effects: we observe a relative increase in births to married women and to better-off families. Several factors – including disruptions to the marriage market and income effects – contribute to the long-term fertility reduction. The results are consistent with studies that... (More)
- What are the consequences of a severe health shock like an influenza pandemic on fertility? Using rich administrative data and a difference-in-differences approach, we evaluate fertility responses to the 1918–19 influenza pandemic in Sweden. We find evidence of a small baby boom following the end of the pandemic, but we show that this effect is second-order compared to a strong long-term negative fertility effect. Within this net fertility decline there are compositional effects: we observe a relative increase in births to married women and to better-off families. Several factors – including disruptions to the marriage market and income effects – contribute to the long-term fertility reduction. The results are consistent with studies that find a positive fertility response following natural disasters, but we show that this effect is short-lived. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/409c717f-245c-4c14-b9dd-188d46e05015
- author
- Boberg-Fazlic, Nina ; Ivets, Maryna ; Karlsson, Martin LU and Nilsson, Therese LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-12-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Economics and Human Biology
- volume
- 43
- article number
- 101020
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85109532710
- pmid:34252794
- ISSN
- 1570-677X
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ehb.2021.101020
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 409c717f-245c-4c14-b9dd-188d46e05015
- date added to LUP
- 2021-05-25 16:55:08
- date last changed
- 2022-04-27 02:03:29
@article{409c717f-245c-4c14-b9dd-188d46e05015,
abstract = {{What are the consequences of a severe health shock like an influenza pandemic on fertility? Using rich administrative data and a difference-in-differences approach, we evaluate fertility responses to the 1918–19 influenza pandemic in Sweden. We find evidence of a small baby boom following the end of the pandemic, but we show that this effect is second-order compared to a strong long-term negative fertility effect. Within this net fertility decline there are compositional effects: we observe a relative increase in births to married women and to better-off families. Several factors – including disruptions to the marriage market and income effects – contribute to the long-term fertility reduction. The results are consistent with studies that find a positive fertility response following natural disasters, but we show that this effect is short-lived.}},
author = {{Boberg-Fazlic, Nina and Ivets, Maryna and Karlsson, Martin and Nilsson, Therese}},
issn = {{1570-677X}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Economics and Human Biology}},
title = {{Disease and fertility: Evidence from the 1918-19 influenza pandemic in Sweden}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2021.101020}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.ehb.2021.101020}},
volume = {{43}},
year = {{2021}},
}