Executive summary: Contrary to the common belief that saving lives in overpopulated areas perpetuates overpopulation, evidence suggests that reducing infant mortality actually leads to lower fertility rates, creating a win-win situation where populations become more sustainable while lives are saved.
Key points:
Studies from the US and Europe show a positive correlation between infant mortality rates and fertility rates.
Evidence indicates that higher infant mortality causes higher fertility through “hoarding” behavior, where parents have more children to ensure some survive.
Instrumental variable techniques isolate the causal effect, showing that 60-80% of the correlation is due to gross replacement effects, including hoarding.
Lowering infant mortality rates likely results in lowering fertility rates, though other factors may also influence both.
Charities that save lives by improving health, nutrition, and education may help reduce overpopulation while providing direct benefits.
The author recommends considering pledging 10% of income to effective charities through organizations like Giving What We Can.
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Executive summary: Contrary to the common belief that saving lives in overpopulated areas perpetuates overpopulation, evidence suggests that reducing infant mortality actually leads to lower fertility rates, creating a win-win situation where populations become more sustainable while lives are saved.
Key points:
Studies from the US and Europe show a positive correlation between infant mortality rates and fertility rates.
Evidence indicates that higher infant mortality causes higher fertility through “hoarding” behavior, where parents have more children to ensure some survive.
Instrumental variable techniques isolate the causal effect, showing that 60-80% of the correlation is due to gross replacement effects, including hoarding.
Lowering infant mortality rates likely results in lowering fertility rates, though other factors may also influence both.
Charities that save lives by improving health, nutrition, and education may help reduce overpopulation while providing direct benefits.
The author recommends considering pledging 10% of income to effective charities through organizations like Giving What We Can.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.