Description
This course uses an economic perspective to analyze demographic change, including recent dramatic changes in fertility, mortality and marriage in both industrialized and developing countries. Microeconomic models are used to analyze individual and household decisions regarding demographic behavior, including fertility, marriage and family organization, human capital investment (health and education), migration, and labor force behavior, as well as many factors that influence or are otherwise related to these outcomes. We will examine causes and consequences of changes in human populations (e.g., size, age structure, gender balance, health, wealth) using an economic framework. Causes and consequences of variations across time, space and subgroups in fertility, mortality, family structure, human capital investment, labor force involvement and migration will be considered, as will impacts on populations and subgroups of natural disasters, wars, pandemics, macroeconomic events, governmen