Understanding The Relationship Between Countries’ GDP And Birthrates

Literature Review

Question:

Based on their literature review, students are required to write a business research proposal outlining the details of the proposed research project that addresses the gaps identified in the literature. Derived from the business topic, the proposal needs to include clearly state research questions (primary and secondary), and provide a solid research methodology that supports the feasibility of the research project.

The present research proposal deals with understanding the relationship between countries Gross Domestic Product and birthrates (Testa 2014). In order to perform this, it is necessary for the researcher to plan ways where several attributes of research proposal are mentioned such as scope of the project, context, research questions, research objectives, research hypothesis, and brief literature review, selection of research methods, limitations, time schedule and then concluding the research proposal. The current segment emphasis upon how two variables are interlinked and what could be the most appropriate research methods that should be used by the researcher to get outcomes or results and then analyze it at the end of the study (Storey 2016).

The main objective of this project or assignment is to understand the relation between countries GDP and birthrates (Sajedinejad et al. 2015). Fertility of the population of a country has reasonably implications on the welfare dynamics of a country as it aligns with other factors that involves overall infrastructural framework, employment status and education of the particular country. These factors can be properly measured with the help of Gross Domestic Product of the country (Cumming, Johan and Zhang 2014).

The main scope of this project is to explain the presence of inverse relationship between two variables where the first variable is GDP of a country and second variable is about birthrates (per ‘000 population). There are several theories present that explain the linkage between the birth rate of a country as well as income of the country on a broader sense (Luci-Greulich and Thévenon 2014). Even several theoretical frameworks explain the presence of inverse relationship between these two variables.

As rightly put forward by Barro (2013), income is one of the primary determinant factors that give rise to fertility of the population of the country as well as dynamics at the same time. There is positive relationship between the income growth of a country as well as growth of fertility statistics of the country. Most of the economists as well as speculators are of the opinion that there is relationship between the income level dynamics of a country as well as changes in the birthrates of the population of the same country (Anderson and Kohler 2015).

According to Coccia (2014), the theories explained in the literature review section shows inversing the empirical evidences from several significant corners of the world that have even supported the relationship between the income as well as fertility rates of the country. In addition, the demographic profile had even changed in the country with higher fertility as it adversely affected by the labor market crisis. There is inverse relationship between per capita GDP as it is found correlating with the decline in the birth rates and the postponement of bearing child (Cumming, Johan and Zhang 2014). The demographic economic paradox was explained properly where there were conventional views of Malthus as well as his contemporaries. In this, there was proper elaboration of relationship between the income of a country as well as its fertility. It even displays presence of inverse relationship between the income growth of a country as well as changes in the fertility rate at the same time. It is important for the nation to move in the path of economic progress that comprise of overall income as well as standard of living for the residents present in the country that are eventually or drastically increasing. On the contrary, the fertility of the population of the concerned country is gradually decreasing at a same pace. According to Malthus, there is positive relationship between the income as well as fertility of the population of a country and it is even supported by most of the scholars who were for the statement (Luci-Greulich and Thévenon 2013).

Research Questions

Malthus, in his works already specifies that it does not just stop at this speculation (Cumming, Johan and Zhang 2014). Later on, he even suggested about effects and burdens of high population as well as higher fertility rates on the nation mainly at the time of natural crisis such as calamities and disasters. In order to prevent the sufferings that the population had to suffer, it is important to impose a moral restraint on the number of children that they are willing to have. The view of this author was popularly quoted as he was of the opinion that there is a need for birth control so that there is higher social well being as early as possible. In that period, it was quite feasible to have this thought process and still exist in real case situations presently (Liddle 2014).

Several gaps present in literature review need to be highlighted in this section. The gap was mentioned in the article where it investigated the reasons that underlie behind the presence of an inverse linkage between the birth rate as well as GDP in most of the nations of the world (Frank and Hou 2015). The literature review section fully explain about the relationships that is both in terms of positive and negative and is even challenged by the contemporary data findings as it display changes in the patterns of correlations and its implications in and across countries. In most of the cases, it is noted that there is relationship between the income levels as well as fertility rates in the country that in actual went from positive to negative as it depends upon the time span. A pattern is needed to understand while understanding the fertility with the changes in level of income of the countries that majorly alters from short-term to long-term. This activity or attributes mainly depends upon the perceptional change as well as infrastructural and bringing awareness in the generations in and across country. The gap in the literature review is present as there is no proper elaboration on the exact pattern of the changes in the relationship of the concerned variable (Cumming, Johan and Zhang 2014).

Primary Question

1. What is the relation between countries GDP and birthrates?

Secondary Question

1. What is the reason behind the inverse relationship between GDP and birthrate?
2. What is the relationship between income levels and fertility rates in the country?
3. What are the implications of the Fertility J-Curve?

Hypothesis

H₀: There is relationship between countries GDP and birthrates

H₁: There is no relationship between countries GDP and birthrate

Qualitative research

In case of research positivism, the researcher will be using interpretive research philosophy as the research study is based on using qualitative data sources. The other research philosophies (research positivism and realism) cannot be used in this particular research study as these philosophies are directly associated with quantitative and primary data collection approach. The research topic on Relation between Countries GDP and Birthrates can be properly analyzed by using secondary sources of information from reliable sources and this is the reason why the researcher will be selecting interpretive research philosophy (Coccia 2014).

In case of research approach, the researcher will be using deductive approach as the research study is based on using qualitative data sources. The other research approach (inductive approach) cannot be used in this particular research study as the topic on Relation between Countries GDP and Birthrates is not an innovative one and none of the concepts are new that are being evaluated and studied by the researcher. The researcher in this case only analyzes the data after taking the information from reliable secondary sources and then draws conclusion at the end (Boldrin, De Nardi and Jones 2015)

Research Objectives

Process of qualitative research (main steps)

Approaches to reliability and validity

The use of reliability as well as validity proves to be most common phenomenon used in qualitative research paradigm (Blau and Kahn 2015). These two attributes are rooted under interpretive perspective as it redefines the concept and render a naturalistic approach. Reliability as well as validity from qualitative point of view has to be redefined as it reflects the activities in multiple ways of establishing truth. In this research study, researcher will be using qualitative data where the information collected should be valid and reliable so that there is no discrepancy in getting access to information (Cumming, Johan and Zhang 2014).

Sampling

The researcher will be collecting data by using secondary sources of information and for this; the sampling done was from reliable sources such as reviewed journal articles, books and authentic websites (Cumming, Johan and Zhang 2014).

Sample size

The sample size of this research study is collecting information from 226 countries and then evaluating related cases that align with the research topic (Cia.gov 2017).

Data Collection method

There are two types of data such as inclusive data and exclusive data. Exclusive data are those data that are not considered or taken into account by the researcher as the information is published before 2012. This information is outdated and provides no relevance to the present research study. For this purpose, the researcher has taken inclusive data where the journal articles are taken that is published after 2012. Thematic analysis is used in the present study to analyze the data that is being collected by the help of qualitative sources (Barro 2013).

Variables specifications

There is two variables used in the study where the first variable is Gross Domestic Product of a country and the second variable is birthrates (per ‘000 population).

Research Limitations

The researcher at the time of conducting the present research study faced plenty of issues and hurdles. With limited time constraint, it is difficult for the researcher to conduct in-depth analysis on the present research study on understanding the relationship between countries GDP and birthrates. The researcher even had limited financial resources and for this reason, it was difficult for the researcher to use expensive tools and techniques in the present study. The researcher needs to overcome all these obstacles and try to correct the error so that it does not repeat in the next research study (Asumadu-Sarkodie and Owusu 2016).

Time schedule (research plan)

Conclusion

The present research proposal can be concluded by sharing instances about what are the aspects covered by the researcher. The topic on Relation between Countries GDP and Birthrates was properly discussed in the entire research proposal. The segment even explains about the gaps present in the literature study and its associated problems that need to be rectified in the upcoming research study. There exist various opinions that explain about the relationship between income level of a country as well as birth rates. However, the study leaves an opportunity to explore various other related topics for future research prospects in an effective way

Reference List

Anderson, T. and Kohler, H.P., 2015. Low fertility, socioeconomic development, and gender equity. Population and development review, 41(3), pp.381-407.

Asumadu-Sarkodie, S. and Owusu, P.A., 2016. The casual nexus between child mortality rate, fertility rate, GDP, household final consumption expenditure, and food production index. Cogent Economics & Finance, 4(1), p.1191985.

Barro, R.J., 2013. Inflation and Economic Growth. Annals of Economics & Finance, 14(1).

Blau, F.D. and Kahn, L.M., 2015. Substitution between individual and source country characteristics: Social capital, culture, and us labor market outcomes among immigrant women. Journal of Human Capital, 9(4), pp.439-482.

Boldrin, M., De Nardi, M. and Jones, L.E., 2015. Fertility and social security. Journal of Demographic Economics, 81(3), pp.261-299.

Cia.gov. 2017. The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency. [online] Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2054rank.html [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017].

Coccia, M., 2014. Driving forces of technological change: the relation between population growth and technological innovation: analysis of the optimal interaction across countries. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 82, pp.52-65.

Cumming, D., Johan, S. and Zhang, M., 2014. The economic impact of entrepreneurship: Comparing international datasets. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 22(2), pp.162-178.

Frank, K. and Hou, F., 2015. Source?Country Gender Roles and the Division of Labor Within Immigrant Families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77(2), pp.557-574.

Liddle, B., 2014. Impact of population, age structure, and urbanization on carbon emissions/energy consumption: evidence from macro-level, cross-country analyses. Population and Environment, 35(3), pp.286-304.

Luci-Greulich, A. and Thévenon, O., 2013. The impact of family policies on fertility trends in developed countries. European Journal of Population/Revue européenne de Démographie, 29(4), pp.387-416.

Luci-Greulich, A. and Thévenon, O., 2014. Does economic advancement ‘cause’a re-increase in fertility? An empirical analysis for OECD countries (1960–2007). European Journal of Population, 30(2), pp.187-221.

Sajedinejad, S., Majdzadeh, R., Vedadhir, A., Tabatabaei, M.G. and Mohammad, K., 2015. Maternal mortality: a cross-sectional study in global health. Globalization and health, 11(1), p.4.

Storey, D.J., 2016. Understanding the small business sector. Routledge.

Testa, M.R., 2014. On the positive correlation between education and fertility intentions in Europe: Individual-and country-level evidence. Advances in life course research, 21, pp.28-42.

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