Babies Hurt Development, Except When We’re Modern (Developing World 1980–Present)

Abstract

Chapter 10 traces the dramatic and sustained burst in anti-natalist activity within the developing world over the last forty years. Between 1976 and 2011 the number of least-developed states that expressed a need to reduce the fertility of their citizens leapt from 31 to 92 percent. This chapter explores the many mechanisms the population giants of the developing world have used to try to control the procreative practices of their citizens and craft policies believed to best address the common problems of underdevelopment, poverty, and state weakness. Moreover, counterfactual cases, such as the Palestinians, are explored to highlight the discursive, nonobjective nature of state reactions to demographic realities. This chapter adds to the debate concerning the merits and boundaries of efforts to shape the reproductive outcomes of millions of individuals living in the global South.