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Freakonomics Radio

636. Why Aren’t We Having More Babies?

50 min episode · 2 min read
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Episode

50 min

Read time

2 min

AI-Generated Summary

Key Takeaways

  • Why have global fertility rates dropped so dramatically?
  • What economic factors drive family size decisions today?
  • Can government policies effectively boost birth rates?

What It Covers

Global fertility rates have fallen by half in fifty years, creating economic and social challenges as countries shift from overpopulation fears to birth dearth concerns.

Key Questions Answered

  • Why have global fertility rates dropped so dramatically?
  • What economic factors drive family size decisions today?
  • Can government policies effectively boost birth rates?

Notable Moment

Catherine Pekalik, Harvard-trained economist with fourteen children, describes how colleagues assume her large family reflects irrational decision-making despite her professional expertise in rational choice theory.

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