Culture and the Historical Fertility Transition
利用1877年英国生育率的急剧变化，发现加拿大、美国和南非的英裔家庭生育率同步下降，表明文化力量是生育转型的重要驱动因素，而不仅仅是经济激励。
Abstract The historical transition to a low fertility regime was central for long-run growth, but what caused it? Existing economic explanations largely focus on the economic incentives to limit fertility. This article presents new evidence highlighting the importance of cultural forces as a complementary driver of the fertility transition. We leverage a sharp change in fertility in Britain in 1877 and document large synchronized declines in fertility among culturally British households residing outside of Britain, in Canada, the US, and South Africa, relative to their non-British neighbours. We propose a plausible catalyst for the change: the famous Bradlaugh–Besant trial of 1877.