Research

Presented at: Young Swiss Economists Meeting 2022, ETH Zurich; SSES Annual Congress 2022 University of Fribourg; International Association for Applied Econometrics 2022, King’s College; Brown Bag Lunch IHEID 2022.

JEL Classification: J12

IHEID Working Papers 12‑2022, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies. 

Abstract: This paper investigates the evolutionary explanation of menopause in humans. Evolutionary theories propose that menopause prompts women to reallocate resources from childbearing to nurturing household members including husband, adult children and grandchildren, enhancing everyone’s survival prospects. With a global decline in the average age of menopause over the past four decades, the estimates confirm the association between the lifetime risk of maternal mortality and the age of menopause. However, empirical estimates find that the primary driver of menopause is the increased likelihood of a woman’s own survival in response to the challenges of ageing, rather than solely nurturing instincts and altruism toward offspring and grandchildren. Amongst the tested evolutionary explanations, the estimates show support for the patriarch hypothesis, which posits that menopause is a selection consequence for greater male longevity. Estimates suggest that the patriarch desires a seamless continuation of his legacy, motivating his wife (the grandmother) to contribute to maternal care for the pregnant daughter-in-law. Notably, a paternal grandmother does not appear to experience a significant tradeoff between her responsibilities for progeny care and obligations that ensure her and her husband’s continued survival and longevity.

JEL Classification: I15, J12, J16

This paper investigates the impact of population management and market-driven environmental policy instruments on economic growth. It finds that in the absence of population management, the implementation of an emissions permit scheme initiates a regressive cycle marked by escalating birth rates.  Consequently, this phenomenon leads to diminished economic growth, primarily ascribed to the adverse income effect engendered by permit pricing. Therefore, a population policy emerges as a pivotal determinant in the interruption of this cycle. Nevertheless, the efficacy of distinct population control methods hinges on preferences concerning progeny well-being. In instances where abatement technology exhibits advancement, birth taxes designed for environmental permits emerge as an efficacious strategy for averting impending environmental and demographic crises, all while preserving economic growth.

JEL Classification: O44, Q56