The Production of Reproduction: Economics of sexual behavior, reproduction, and child-rearing in Africa

摘要: Author(s): Jones, Kelly M | Advisor(s): Sadoulet, Elisabeth Abstract: Economic factors affect nearly every human decision, even those we consider most personal. This body of work demonstrates the presence economic reasoning in unexpected realms sexuality and reproduction. Focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, where financial concerns are often pressing, I show evidence for influence economics child-rearing, sexual behavior, reproduction, respectively.On model parents' decision regarding investments their children, particular, child health. The question interest is how a child's cohort within household affects amount type investment she receives. Partitioning into private goods club children reveals that size gender composition one's these types opposite ways. use data from Senegal to test prediction that, ceteris paribus, with larger (and more male) cohorts will receive investments. Employing new method deal endogeneity siblings this analysis, exploit unique characteristic data. predominance multi-family, cooperative households setting offers existence non-sibling can instrument full household. Using 2SLS within-household estimation, find increasing male composition. finding particularly relevant health such as water purification, bed nets, immunizations could prevent sixty percent death.In addition, builds existing theories behavior responses low-income shocks. Social scientists have suggested African women transactional sex both income smoothing insurance. In an environment epidemic HIV, increases casual partnerships, or risks taken partnerships increase HIV-risk woman her community. shows dynamic. employ individual serostatus overlay it historical, village-level weather across 19 countries Africa. when droughts cause hardship rural significantly likely become infected HIV. Concentration effect among little means, counterpart men great suggest behavioral pathway. These findings indicate crop insurance social safety nets stem spread HIV Africa.This also highlights impact policies reproductive decisions, at distance. Several times past quarter-century, US has employed policy achieve objective: reduce abortion abroad. By withholding funding certain foreign NGOs, rather had reducing availability contraceptives poor countries. estimate Ghana, creating woman-by-month panel over 25 years exploiting off-on-off-on history policy. Findings did not abortion. Further, reduced contraceptive resulted increased pregnancy rates amdash explaining factor why women. Ghana alone, 100,000 additional abortions up 500,000 unplanned births.