TY - JOUR A1 - Kreyenfeld, Michaela A1 - Klüsener, Sebastian A1 - Neels, Karel T1 - Family Policies and the Western European Fertility Divide: Insights from a Natural Experiment in Belgium JF - Population and Development Review N2 - Countries in Northwestern Europe, including Belgium, report cohort fertility levels of close to two children per woman; whereas Central European countries, such as Germany, have levels of around 1.6 children. In seeking to explain these differences, some scholars have stressed the role of the social policy context, while others have pointed to variation in fertility-related social norms. But because these influences are interdependent, it is difficult to isolate their effects on fertility trends. This study attempts to disentangle these two factors by drawing on a quasi-natural experiment. After World War I Germany was compelled to cede the Eupen–Malmedy territory to Belgium. The population of this region has retained its German linguistic identity, but has been subject to Belgian social policies. We examine whether the fertility trends in this German-speaking region of Belgium follow the Belgian or the German pattern. Our findings indicate that they generally resemble the Belgian pattern. This suggests that institutional factors are important for understanding the current fertility differences in Western Europe. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2013.00629.x SN - 1728-4457 VL - 39 IS - 4 SP - 587 EP - 610 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nisén, Jessica A1 - Klüsener, Sebastian A1 - Dahlberg, Johan A1 - Dommermuth, Lars A1 - Jasilioniene, Aiva A1 - Kreyenfeld, Michaela A1 - Lappegård, Trude A1 - Li, Peng A1 - Martikainen, Pekka A1 - Neels, Karel A1 - Riederer, Bernhard A1 - te Riele, Saskia A1 - Szabó, Laura A1 - Trimarchi, Alessandra A1 - Viciana, Francisco A1 - Wilson, Ben A1 - Myrskylä, Mikko T1 - Educational differences in cohort fertility across subnational regions in Europe JF - European Journal of Population N2 - Educational differences in female cohort fertility vary strongly across high-income countries and over time, but knowledge about how educational fertility differentials play out at the sub-national regional level is limited. Examining these sub-national regional patterns might improve our understanding of national patterns, as regionally varying contextual conditions may affect fertility. This study provides for the first time for a large number of European countries a comprehensive account of educational differences in the cohort fertility rate (CFR) at the sub-national regional level. We harmonise data from population registers, censuses, and large-sample surveys for 15 countries to measure women’s completed fertility by educational level and region of residence at the end of the reproductive lifespan. In order to explore associations between educational differences in CFRs and levels of economic development, we link our data to regional GDP per capita. Empirical Bayesian estimation is used to reduce uncertainty in the regional fertility estimates. We document an overall negative gradient between the CFR and level of education, and notable regional variation in the gradient. The steepness of the gradient is inversely related to the economic development level. It is steepest in the least developed regions and close to zero in the most developed regions. This tendency is observed within countries as well as across all regions of all countries. Our findings underline the variability of educational gradients in women’s fertility, suggest that higher levels of development may be associated with less negative gradients, and call for more in-depth sub-national-level fertility analyses by education. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-020-09562-0 ER -