20 May | 12:45 | Dupriez D. 144

Marion Richard

(NovaSBE)

will give a presentation on 

Mass media and fertility: evidence from a population-control program

Abstract

This paper examines the long-run impact of a national-scale family planning radio campaign on fertility outcomes in Malawi. Leveraging quasi-random variation in radio coverage driven by topography and a sharp shift in content policy by the state-owned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) starting in 1995, we assess the causal effect of radio exposure on reproductive behaviour. We combine detailed signal propagation models with geo-referenced fertility data from three waves of Demographic and Health Surveys and the national census. We find that greater exposure to family planning radio programming significantly reduced fertility, primarily by shifting fertility preferences and increasing contraceptive use, rather than through improved knowledge. The results highlight the role mass media have played in accelerating fertility transitions in low-income settings by targeting social norms.

About the speaker 

Marion Richard is postdoctoral researcher at NovaSBE and IC Migration fellow. Her current work focuses on conflict, climate change, gender norms and colonial policies as determinants and barriers to migration in developing countries.