Economic status proxies in studies of fertility in developing countries : does the measure matter?

Using micro survey data from Ghana and Peru and techniques for comparing non- nested models, the study finds that the proxies for income that best predict fertility are a principal components score of various consumer durable goods and an index based on ownership of those durable goods. The proxy used influences the predicted effects of some of the control variables, but overall the substantive conclusions are quite consistent. The study also compares the results from using a restricted set of proxies, such as those typically available in the Demographic and Health Surveys, with the results obtained with a lengthier set of proxies. Though the study focuses on childbearing, its results suggest implications beyond this specific dependent variable, providing researchers with an awareness of the sensitivity of microanalyses to the treatment of economic status. Study results also suggest practical recommendations for survey data collection. (Author abstract, modified)