Comparative Advantage, International Trade, and Fertility

Do, Quy-Toan ; Levchenko, Andrei ; Raddatz, Claudio

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGE;    ACCOUNTING;    AGRICULTURE;    AVERAGE WAGES;    BABY;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6930
RP-ID  :  WPS6930

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper analyzes theoretically andempirically the impact of comparative advantage ininternational trade on fertility. It builds a model in whichindustries differ in the extent to which they use femalerelative to male labor and countries are characterized byRicardian comparative advantage in either female labor ormale labor intensive goods. The main prediction of the modelis that countries with comparative advantage in female laborintensive goods are characterized by lower fertility. Thisis because female wages and therefore the opportunity costof children are higher in those countries. The paperdemonstrates empirically that countries with comparativeadvantage in industries employing primarily women exhibitlower fertility. The analysis uses a geography-basedinstrument for trade patterns to isolate the causal effectof comparative advantage on fertility.