The island and small-country effects on fertility

The total fertility rate is lower in island nations than non-island nations , and in small land-area nations than large land-area nations. Because isla nds tend to be much smaller than non-islands, these phenomena raise the que stion of whether there are two distinct effects or two manifestations of a single effect. This paper uses 1990 cross-sectional data on 198 countries t o estimate the independent effects of islands and land-area on fertility. W e find evidence that there are two separate effects. One possible explanati on for the island and small-country fertility effects can be drawn from the theory of the commons, but another possible explanation is offered by the new theory of economic growth. We explore each of these possible explanatio ns and conclude that the small-country effect is consistent with new theori es of economic growth while the island effect is likely the result of a 'co mmons effect'.