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  3. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
  4. October 2014
  5. Citizenship, Fertility, and Parental Investments

Citizenship, Fertility, and Parental Investments

  • Ciro Avitabile
  • Irma Clots-Figueras
  • Paolo Masella
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 6, no. 4, October 2014
(pp. 35-65)
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Abstract

Citizenship rights are associated with better economic opportunities for immigrants. This paper studies how in a country with a large fraction of temporary migrants the fertility decisions of foreign citizens respond to a change in the rules that regulate child legal status at birth. The introduction of birthright citizenship in Germany in 2000, represented a positive shock to the returns to investment in child human capital. Consistent with Becker's "quality-quantity" model of fertility, we find that birthright citizenship leads to a reduction in immigrant fertility and an improvement in health and socio-emotional outcomes for the children affected by the reform.

Citation

Avitabile, Ciro, Irma Clots-Figueras, and Paolo Masella. 2014. "Citizenship, Fertility, and Parental Investments." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6 (4): 35-65. DOI: 10.1257/app.6.4.35

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
  • J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
  • J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
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