Is the Quantity-Quality Trade-off a Trade-off for All, None, or Some?

Abstract

Although the theoretical trade-off between the quantity and quality of children is well-established, empirical evidence supporting such a causal relationship − particularly on child health − is limited. We use two measures of child health to asses the quantity-quality trade-off across the entire distribution. Using data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey and controlling for the potential endogeneity of child quantity, we find evidence of a causal trade-off only for some and only in the short-run.intrahousehold allocation, health, human capital, fertility, quantile treatment effects, stochastic dominance