Twitter poster and Exit Group founder Kevin Dolan (Bennett’s Phylactery) joins me for a broad discussion on the birthrate question. To begin, Kevin tells us about his upcoming Natal Conference. (Sign up using the promo code CASEY to get 10% off.) He then outlines the problem: plummeting birthrates in nearly every country. Why is this happening? Kevin argues that most explanations for this phenomenon are inadequate and offers his own theory. This leads to a consideration of several commonly cited culprits, including technology and money.
In the second half, available to subscribers, we continue our discussion of the economic factor. Does offering financial incentives work? Sort of. But as Kevin explains, there is a ceiling for these interventions. We then discuss the role social status plays in the decision to have children. Can we easily reshape American society so that having lots of children is once again high status? Toward the end of the show, we discuss Israel, the only first world country with an above-replacement fertility rate. What’s going on there? Is it sustainable? Tune in to find out.
