Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/312862 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
GLO Discussion Paper No. 1572
Publisher: 
Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen
Abstract: 
In unified growth models, the evolving nexus between population dynamics and technological change is key to achieving sustained economic growth. This paper uses genealogical records of 23,449 males and their spouses to investigate this interplay-the intergenerational transmission of reproduction and human capital-within six Chinese lineages from 1300 to 1920. Examining the relationship between reproduction and long-run reproductive success, the empirical results reveal an optimal level of reproduction, demonstrating a strong Darwinian trade-off: high reproduction in each generation did not consistently lead to long-term reproductive success. Further analysis of the mechanisms is consistent with a Beckerian trade-off, highlighting the potential costs of excessive reproduction through contrasting outcomes in sons' quality: having more brothers exhibited little apparent impact on marriageability but may have been associated with lower human capital. Together, these findings contribute to a deeper understanding of micro-demographic dynamics in pre-modern China and the persistence of Malthusian constraints.
Subjects: 
Reproduction
Long-run reproductive success
Child quantity-quality trade-off
Ming-Qing China
JEL: 
I25
J13
N35
O15
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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