Are there crisis-led fertility declines? Evidence from central Cameroon

Past demographic transitions have been observed with and without economic p rogress, but there is little empirical record of crisis-driven fertility tr ansitions. In recent years, several authors have argued that conditions for such transitions are met in African countries under economic crisis and st ructural adjustment. Using retrospective family histories, this study exami nes fertility responses to crisis in Cameroon, a country with a particularl y abrupt economic reversal. The thesis of a crisis-led decline is tested on the basis of five criteria including timing of the decline, statistical an d substantive significance, rural-urban response differentials and social s alience. Findings are consistent with a crisis-led effect.