The Role of Diffusion Processes in Fertility Change in Developing Countries

This paper describes the presentations and discussions at the Workshop on the Social Processes Underlying Fertility Change in Developing Countries organized by the Committee on Population of the National Research Council in Washington D.C. January 29-30 1998. This workshop was intended to serve as an arena for leading researchers who are working on diffusion processes and fertility change to discuss their existing theories and findings and to consider the implications that these findings may have for further research and policy endeavors. Workshop participants represented a number of different disciplines including demography sociology economics anthropology decision sciences communication public health and population policy. Participants were asked to examine what is known about the relationship between the diffusion of ideas and the fertility transition to identify some of the major obstacles to increasing understanding of diffusion processes and fertility change and to suggest how the obstacles might be overcome. 14 papers were presented at the workshop and represented both theoretical and empirical perspectives on the role that diffusion process may play in fertility transition.