Date and Time
February 17, 2005
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Availability
Open to the public
No RSVP required

Speaker
Norman G. Miller, MD - Harvard University

There has been considerable debate in the last decade about whether or not family planning reduces fertility and improves socio-economic outcomes in developing countries. In particular, previous empirical research has struggled to differentiate true program benefits from the consequences of non-random program placement. This paper provides new evidence by exploiting the surprisingly haphazard expansion of one of the world's oldest and largest family planning organizations - PROFAMILIA of Colombia.

Analyses indicate that family planning allowed women to postpone their first birth, have 1/2 to 1 fewer children, stay in school longer, work more, and live independently. Their children were less likely to become teenage mothers, received more education, and were less likely to work at young ages, although boys benefited considerably more than girls. A variety of evidence suggests that non-random program allocation is not responsible for these results. Family planning appears to have reduced the otherwise substantial costs of fertility control and may be among the most effective development interventions.