How much do financial incentives and other means of support influence the decision to have children, or how many to have? In China, the connection appears weak.
Despite being the country’s top contributor of newborns, the southern economic powerhouse of Guangdong offers one of the poorest environments for childbirth, Chinese researchers said in a recent study.
The ranking was compiled in a study published in last month’s issue of Population and Economics, a journal from Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing.
The authors of the report, from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications and the China Population and Development Research Centre, said it showed a “mismatch” between fertility conditions and policy support.
“We need to strengthen in-depth research on the relationship between fertility conditions and fertility support, explore their intrinsic connections and patterns, and provide a more scientific basis for policymaking,” they said.
