Should rich countries try to get their citizens to have more children? Liberals often counter that more people in rich countries would just put pressure on the environment, and that population problems are better solved by higher immigration. But for rich countries in Europe and East Asia, the picture isn’t so rosy. The most obvious solution —paying people to have children—sometimes causes a short-term spike in birth rates. Some studies have found that childbearing subsidies raise fertility even after timing effects are netted out, but the effect is modest.

Source: The Standard November 01, 2017 15:00 UTC