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Educational Expansions and Fertility: Evidence from Norwegian College Reforms

Adrian F. Rogne et al.

European Journal of Population2025https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-025-09737-7article
ABDC B
Weight
0.44

Abstract

Previous research has pointed to educational expansions and increased educational attainment among women as an important factor contributing to reductions in fertility levels and changes in family formation patterns in the second half of the twentieth century. We investigate one potential mechanism that may have contributed to these developments-the establishment of local colleges providing access to higher education for broader segments of the population. We study the establishment of regional colleges in Norway 1973-83. Taking advantage of population-wide administrative register data, historical data sources and recent developments in difference-in-differences methodology, we employ an event study design to assess the impact of local colleges on cohort fertility and age-specific fertility outcomes, as well as age at marriage and regional mobility as potential mechanisms. Our findings suggest that access to local colleges did not impact fertility, family formation or mobility to any substantial degree.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-025-09737-7

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@article{adrian2025,
  title        = {{Educational Expansions and Fertility: Evidence from Norwegian College Reforms}},
  author       = {Adrian F. Rogne et al.},
  journal      = {European Journal of Population},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-025-09737-7},
}

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Educational Expansions and Fertility: Evidence from Norwegian College Reforms

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Evidence weight

0.44

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.32 × 0.4 = 0.13
M · momentum0.57 × 0.15 = 0.09
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.