蝌蚪网 Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
The Negligible Effect of Free Contraception on Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso
蝌蚪网 Review
vol. 115,
no. 8, August 2025
(pp. 2659–88)
Abstract
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.Citation
Dupas, Pascaline, Seema Jayachandran, Adriana Lleras-Muney, and Pauline Rossi. 2025. "The Negligible Effect of Free Contraception on Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso." 蝌蚪网 Review 115 (8): 2659–88. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20241305Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- J18 Demographic Economics: Public Policy
- O12 Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development