The Tradeoff between Number of Children and Child Schooling: Evidence from Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) Working Paper Number 112.

This research paper explores the relationship between fertility and the investments made by parents in the schooling of their children in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana (both in Africa). The tendency in developing nations research is that families with many children invest less in each, and families with fewer children make greater human capital investments per child. The two papers in this volume examine the determinants of fertility and child schooling in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana to assess evidence of a tradeoff between the number of children born and levels of child schooling. In Cote d'Ivoire, there is evidence of such a tradeoff in urban areas, but not in rural areas. Female schooling, higher income, and improved child survival are associated with lower fertility and higher child schooling. In both urban and rural areas of Ghana, there is evidence of a tradeoff between fertility and child schooling with higher incomes and, in rural Ghana, with increases in mothers' schooling. The papers in this monograph include: (1) "Fertility and Child Schooling in Cote d'Ivoire: Is There a Tradeoff?" (Mark Montgomery; Aka Kouame); and (2) "Fertility and Child Schooling in Ghana: Evidence of a Quality/Quantity Tradeoff" (Raylynn Oliver). Contains 18 references. (EH)