The Negligible Effect of Free Contraception on Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dupas, Pascaline; Jayachandran, Seema; Lleras-Muney, Adriana; Rossi, Pauline
• 署名单位: Princeton University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.20241305
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 2659-2688
• 关键词: middle-income countries; REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH; social norms; IMPACT; mortality; BEHAVIOR; POWER

摘要

We conducted a randomized trial among 14,545 households in rural Burkina Faso to test the oft-cited hypothesis that limited access to contraception is an important driver of high fertility rates in West Africa. We do not find support for this hypothesis. Women who were given free access to modern contraception for three years did not have lower birth rates; we can reject even modest effects. We cross-randomized additional interventions to address inefficiencies that might depress demand for free contraception, specifically misperceptions about the child mortality rate and social norms. Free contraception did not significantly influence fertility even in combination with these interventions. (JEL D12, J13, J16, J18, O12)