Rich Nations Need a Cure for the Baby Bust

Should rich countries try to get their citizens to have more children? Social conservatives generally say yes. Centrists often tentatively agree, worrying that the financial burden of paying for aging populations will be intolerable for a shrinking base of young workers. Liberals often counter that more people in rich countries would just put pressure on the environment, and that population problems are better solved by higher immigration.

The truth is, the right answer to this question probably varies from country to country. In the U.S., boosting fertility isn't a big priority. The U.S. has a total fertility rate of 1.8 children per woman, which is reasonably close to the replacement rate of 2.1 -- i.e., the rate that leads to long-term population stability. Also, the U.S. tends to be welcoming to immigrants, and (at least, up until now) has been able to attract large numbers of the skilled immigrants who contribute most to fiscal and financial sustainability.