Volume 10 - Article 6 | Pages 143–170  

Fertility and Public Policies - Evidence from Norway and Finland

By Marit Rønsen

Abstract

The relatively high and rising fertility rates of Nordic countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s sparked a renewed research interest in the possible pronatalistic effects of generous family policy programs. Several studies have addressed this issue, but few have tried to model policy effects explicitly. The existing evidence so far is mainly from Sweden, where policy indicators have been incorporated in economic fertility models that also control for female wages.
This paper complements previous Swedish analyses with evidence from Norway and Finland. The results corroborate earlier findings of a negative effect of female wages. There are also indications of a positive policy impact, as maternity leave extensions are estimated to raise birth rates, although mainly higher parity births and mainly in Finland.

Author's Affiliation

• Marit Rønsen - Statistisk sentralbyrå (Statistics Norway), Norway EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Can public policies sustain fertility in the Nordic countries?: Lessons from the past and questions for the future
Volume 22 - Article 13

Cohort fertility patterns in the Nordic countries
Volume 20 - Article 14

Fertility and family policy in Norway - A reflection on trends and possible connections
Volume 10 - Article 10

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