Low Fertility, Institutions, and their Policies

Ronald R. Rindfuss is a Research Professor in the Department of Sociology, Adjunct Professor in the Geography Department, and a Fellow of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and a Senior Fellow at the East-West Center, Honolulu, HI. He is Past President of the Population Association of America and a former Director of the Carolina Population Center. His research interests include fertility, population and the environment, migration and family demography.Minja Kim Choe is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at East-West Center’s Research Program. Her research interests include family change, low fertility and population aging, and statistical analyses of demographic processes.

“Each chapter is written by a country expert who presents recent fertility trends and discusses the social, economic, institutional, historical, and cultural factors affecting fertility as well as policies. … an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and policymakers, providing comprehensive and highly informative expositions of the causes of low fertility in high income countries.” (Population and Development Review, Vol. 43 (1), March, 2017)

• Diverse Paths to Low and Lower Fertility: An Overview.- Not so Low Fertility in Norway—A Result of Affluence, Liberal Values, Gender-Equality Ideals, and the Welfare State.- The Influence of Family Policies on Fertility in France: Lessons From the Past and Prospects for the Future.- Fertility and Population Change in the United Kingdom.- Canadian Fertility Trends and Policies: A Story of Regional Variation.- The European Middle way? Low Fertility, Family Change, and Gradual Policy Adjustments in Austria and the Czech Republic.-  Fertility Decline and the Persistence of Low Fertility in a Changing Policy Environment—A Hungarian Case Study.- The Policy Context of Fertility in Spain: Toward a Gender-Egalitarian Model?.- Aging Italy: Low Fertility and Societal Rigidities.- Transition From Anti-natalist to Pro-natalist Policies in Taiwan.- Governmental Support for Families and Obstacles to Fertility in East Asia and Other Industrialized Regions.<