Superstition, Family Planning, and Human Development
Are wanted and unwanted children treated equally by their parents? To address this question, the authors rely on the observation that, according to Vietnamese astrology, dates of birth are believed to be determinants of success, luck, character, and good match between individuals. They then examine fertility decisions made in Vietnam between 1976 and 1996. The authors find that birth cohorts in auspicious years are significantly larger than in other years. Children born in auspicious years moreover do better both in health and education. While parental characteristics seem to affect fertility choices and human development simultaneously, their analysis suggests that family planning is one key mechanism leading to the observed differences in outcomes: in a society in which superstition is widespread, children born in auspicious years are more likely to have been planned by their parents, thus benefiting from more favorable financial, psychological, or emotional conditions for better human development.
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Bibliographic Details
| Main Authors: |
Do, Quy-Toan,
Phung, Tung Duc |
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| Language: | English
en_US |
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| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2006-08
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| Subjects: | ABORTION,
AGE GROUPS,
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION,
ANIMALS,
ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES,
ARGUMENTS,
BABY,
BABY BOOM,
BIRTH RATES,
CARE OF CHILDREN,
CHILD CARE,
CHILDHOOD,
COMMUNES,
CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS,
CRIME,
ECONOMIC STATUS,
EDUCATED WOMEN,
FAMILIES,
FAMILY PLANNING,
FAMILY PLANNING PERSPECTIVES,
FAMILY SIZE,
FERTILITY,
FERTILITY TRANSITION,
FEWER CHILDREN,
FIRST BIRTH,
FIRST CHILD,
GENDER PREFERENCE,
GIRLS,
HEALTH CARE,
HEALTH CENTERS,
HEALTH OUTCOMES,
HOUSEHOLD SIZE,
HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS,
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT,
INFANTICIDE,
ISSUE OF ABORTION,
JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE,
LABOR MARKET,
LARGER FAMILIES,
LIVING STANDARDS,
MARKET ECONOMY,
MOTHER,
NATIONAL LEVEL,
NEWBORN,
NUMBER OF CHILDREN,
NUMBER OF GIRLS,
NUTRITION,
OBESITY,
OLD-AGE,
OVERWEIGHT,
PARENTS,
PENSIONS,
POLICY RESEARCH,
POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER,
POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT,
POWER,
PREGNANCY,
PROGRESS,
QUALITY OF EDUCATION,
ROLE MODELS,
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE,
SELF-CONFIDENCE,
SEX,
SEX RATIO,
SEX RATIOS,
SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION,
SIBLINGS,
SMALLER FAMILIES,
SOCIAL NORMS,
SOCIAL PROGRAMS,
SON PREFERENCE,
UNWANTED CHILDREN,
UNWANTED PREGNANCIES,
WAR, |
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/08/7091092/superstition-family-planning-human-development
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9275
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