Abstract
This article addresses the possible linkage between the spread of electrification in rural areas and subsequent declines in human fertility. Evidence from nine studies in six countries is reviewed and compared. The conclusion from this review is that there is, in fact, some link and that the higher the level of rural electrification the higher is contraceptive prevalence and the lower is the level of fertility. This link appears puzzling at first glance, but the article proposes a conceptual and theoretical framework for interpreting these results and fitting them into accepted theories of fertility. Finally, some important policy implications are discussed and future directions for research indicated.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bilsborrow, Richard E. (1983). “Collecting community-level data for fertility analysis.” Paper presented at the World Fertility Survey Seminar on Collection and Analysis of Data on Community and Institutional Factors, London, June 1983.
Blau, Peter M. (1960). “Structural effects,” American Sociological Review 25: 178–193.
Bongaarts, John (1978). “A framework for analysing the proximate determinants of fertility,” Population and Development Review 4: 105–132.
Caldwell, John C. (1976). “Towards a restatement of demographic transition theory,” Population and Development Review 2: 321–356.
Chayovan, Napaporn et al. (1984). “The impact of accessibility on contraceptive use in rural Thailand.” Report prepared for Population Council-USAID Operations Research Awards Project, Ann. Arbor, Population Studies Center, University of Michigan.
Cornwell, Gretchen, and Warren C. Robinson (1983). The Socio - Demographic Impact of Rural Electrification in the U.S., 1930–1960. A report prepared for the National Rural Electrical Cooperatives Association by the Population Issues Research Office, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
Davis, Kingsley and Judith Blake (1956). “Social structure and fertility: an analytical framework,” Economic Development and Cultural Change 4: 211–234.
Freedman, Ronald (1974). Community-Level Data in Fertility Surveys. Occasional Papers of the World Fertility Survey, 8, The Hague: International Statistical Institute.
Freedman, Ronald, Siew-Ean Khoo, and Bandan Supraptilah (1981). “Modern contraceptive use in Indonesia: a challenge to conventional wisdom,” World Fertility Survey Scientific Reports, No. 20, March 1981, World Fertility Survey, London.
Hauser, Robert M. (1974). “Contextual analysis revisited,” Sociological Methods and Research 2: 365–375.
Herrin, Alejando (1979). “Fertility and rural electrification in the Southern Philippines,” Population and Development Review 5: 61–86.
Herrin, Alejando and Amanda Te (1984). “Rural electrification, fertility change, and family planning practice in the Southern Philippines: a preliminary analysis,” in Richard E. Bilsborrow and Pamela F. DeLargy (eds.), The Demographic Effects of Development Projects: Case Studies and Recommendations. Monograph being prepared for United Nations Fund for Population Activities, scheduled for publication in 1985.
Jain, Anrudh K. (1981). “Effects of female education on fertility: a simple explanation,” Demography 18: 577–595.
Lazarsfeld, Paul F., and Herbert Menzel (1961). “On the relation between individual and collective properties,” in Amitai Etzioni (ed.), Complex Organizations. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Lee, Sang-Gon (1981). “The decline in American rural farm fertility, 1940–1960.” Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University.
Madigan, F.C. (1981). “Rural electrification in the Philippine context,” Research Institute for Mindanao Culture, Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao.
Peknan, Montri (1982). “Impact of village electrification in Northeastern Thailand on fertility,” in Suchart, Prasith-rathsint (eds.), Fertility and Development Interactions in Thailand. Bangkok: The Population Council.
Piampiti, Suwanlee (1984). “Fertility effects of electrification in Northeast Thailand.” Unpublished report prepared under Population Council-USAID Fertility Impacts of Development Project, Bangkok.
Robinson, Warren C., Ferdousi Sultana Begum and Rokeya Khatun (1984). The Impact of Electrification on Fertility in Rural Bangladesh: A Preliminary Report. Policy Paper No. 6, Population and Development Planning Unit, Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh, Dhaka.
Udry, J. Richard (1970), “The effects of the great blackout of 1965 on births in New York City,” Demography 7: 325–327.
World Bank (1974). Population Policies and Economic Development. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Yul, Chul-In, and Dong-il Kim (1984). “A study of demographic, economic and technological interaction at the farm level in Korea.” Unpublished report prepared under Population Council-USAID Fertility Impacts of Development Project, Bangkok.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This paper was prepared for a workshop on “The Relationship between Rural Electrification and Fertility Decline” sponsored by the National Rural Electrical Cooperatives Association and the Population Issues Research Center of Pennsylvania State University. The workshop was held in Washington, D.C. on November 15, 1984. (Copies of a summary of the proceedings of the workshop can be obtained from Mr. Philip P. Costas, International Programs Division, National Rural Electrical Cooperatives Association, 1800 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, U.S.A.) The authors received helpful comments on the paper from Richard Bilsborrow, Gretchen Cornwell, Gordon DeJong, Ronald Freedman, and Ozzie Simmons as well as many other participants in the workshop.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harbison, S.F., Robinson, W.C. Rural electrification and fertility change. Popul Res Policy Rev 4, 149–171 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127549
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127549