This study aims to investigate the relationship between global freedom and total fertility rate. A sample of 37 countries spanning the period from 1973 to 2023 is selected to describe this relationship. Freedom is measured through the World Freedom Index, while the total fertility rate represents demographic development. The Fixed Effects Within-Group Generalized Least Square model is employed to estimate this relationship, with a second version of the model utilized for the shortened period of ... zobrazit celý abstraktThis study aims to investigate the relationship between global freedom and total fertility rate. A sample of 37 countries spanning the period from 1973 to 2023 is selected to describe this relationship. Freedom is measured through the World Freedom Index, while the total fertility rate represents demographic development. The Fixed Effects Within-Group Generalized Least Square model is employed to estimate this relationship, with a second version of the model utilized for the shortened period of 1990-2019, incorporating the control variable of women's educational attainment. The results from both models indicate the existence of an inverse proportion relationship between freedom and total fertility rate among women, aligning with the study by Wang and Sun (2016). The results from the extended versions of both models suggest that this relationship varies across categories of countries defined by geographical location. Potential endogeneity was further examined using a third model, where the results confirmed the reciprocal relationship, with the fertility rate of women negatively impacting the level of freedom, consistent with the study by Dyson and Wilson (2016). The findings of this study hold significant economic and political implications. Given the current trends of declining global female fertility and rising global freedom, the demonstrated reciprocal relationship between these indicators presents challenges not only in terms of an aging global population with substantial labor market consequences but also in the realm of social security systems within individual countries, particularly in the area of pensions. As estimated in the study, these challenges are expected to manifest within the next 50 years. |