Model of Household Structure, Marriage, and Fertility in Rural Areas of Developing Countries with Special Emphasis on the Effects of Old Age Pensions

摘要

The effects of the 'old age security' motive on fertility behavior in rural areas of developing countries are examined in this study, which also develops an economic model capable of analyzing the potential influences, both direct and indirect, of the introduction of a formal old age pension system. The study begins by reviewing relevant literature on household structure, marriage, old age security, and fertility, giving special attention to conditions in rural India, from where the data used in the study are taken. Next, a modular economic model is presented which makes explicit the manner in which the old age security motive affects household structure, marriage, and fertility. The model is then tested, using panel and cross-section data from the Indian Additional Rural Income Survey, 1968-71.