Falling Fertility Question Set.

1. Define total fertility rate.

2. Define replacement level fertility.

3. Explain why the recent decrease in the total fertility rate is significant.

4. Who was Malthus? Google it.

5. What is Malthusians’ view of the decrease in the total fertility rate.

6. How is the rate of the recent and current decrease in the total fertility rate different from what happened in Britain?

7. With regard to total fertility rate, how is Iran exceptional?

8. Explain why the total fertility rate is high in agricultural villages with impoverished populations.

9. What specific societal changes seem to lead to a decrease in the total fertility rate?

10. What did the Demographic and Health Surveys find about desired and actual family sizes in some poor countries?

11. What is the role of availability of contraception in control of family size in poor countries?

12. Which region lags in the provision of contraception?

13. What is the relationship between literacy and total fertility rate?

14. What was China’s strategy to lower the total fertility rate? Did it work?

15. How does the recent decrease in the total fertility rate change the structure of a population?

16. Explain how this population structure is a demographic dividend.

17. How did China’s population control strategy contribute to their recent economic growth?

18. What is primogeniture? Google it.

19. How does a lower total fertility rate in countries without primogeniture lead to greater individual wealth?

20. If you were the president of a poor country that was experiencing a high rate of population growth, what strategies would you use to decrease the total fertility rate?