SOUTHEAST ASIA FERTILITY PROJECT
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Why Fertility Changes
There is considerable controversy over the causes of the completed fertility
transitions that occurred in most industrial countries from 1870 to 1930
and the "new" fertility transitions that are currently underway in the
developing world. New data and empirical analyses of both historical and
contemporary fertility declines have weakened the standard theory of the
demographic transition, but none of the plethora of new theories of fertility
change have emerged as hegemonic or as alternative guides to empirical
research. The vast body of empirical evidence on the origins, speed, and
correlates of fertility declines in different historical and geographical
settings shows more diversity than a simple theory of fertility change
would predict. The challenge for the field is to develop a common theoretical
framework that will accommodate the diversity of historical paths from
high to low fertility.
Hirschman, Charles. (1994). "Why Fertility Changes." Annual Review
of Sociology, 20, 203-233.