4 ms·
Children are public goods with massive positive externalities. I think it would be a shame if the population declined. My favourite policy to increase birth ra
by wycs 8y ago
Children are public goods with massive positive externalities. I think it would be a shame if the population declined.
My favourite policy to increase birth rates is to give parents a percentage of their children's income tax revenue. Standard econ says we just need to internalize some of these positive externalities. This has the advantage of scaling with the wealth of the parents, as economic productivity has a significant heritable component.
Though this policy triggers an intense moral disgust response in everyone I've proposed it to, so likely not possible unless things get very desperate. But I think it has a chance of working, which is more than I can say of most natalist policies I have seen.
- elektor 8y agoI'm not sure I understand. How would the state calculate a child's future income tax revenue?
- wycs 8y agoYou don't. You wait until they grow up and then you give the parents a commission on their income tax.
- elektor 8y agoThat's certainly an interesting proposal. I voluntarily do this with my parents by helping them out with their living expenses. I imagine this would be difficult to implement with people who have strained relationships with their parents/ step-parents.
- wycs 8y agoI'm not sure if it would be stable or not. After a couple generations I sort of feel it would be, as even if you hate your parents if you have kids you would still benefit from the policy. In fact, if economic growth continues you would benefit more than your parents did. And most people do love their parents.
- toasterlovin 8y agoEvolution will take care of falling fertility. Probably won’t take that long, either: https://jasoncollins.blog/2018/10/11/an-evolutionary-projection-of-global-fertility-and-population-my-new-paper-with-lionel-page-in-evolution-human-behavior/ https://jasoncollins.blog/2018/10/11/an-evolutionary-project...