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By Ryan McMaken
"Thanks to increasingly broad car-seat laws, a third child often requires the purchase of a larger, more expensive vehicle. At the margins, this has an effect on fertility."

I dont know if this really has an effect of fertility, or if it is a reason not to have more children.

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I dont agree.
Some people cant have children, that is a fertility issue.
Havjng a big enough car or enough car seats is a choice, not a fertility issue.

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It depends on the field. Fertility research is about anything that impacts birthrates. That is different than specifically medical research into fertility.

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I once had a student who said she was offended when I said something along the lines of "The data shows that employed women have lower fertility rates."

As I probed into her question, I realized that when regular people hear the word fertility, they think of the ability to have children. But when social scientists hear it, they think the act of having children, whether by choice or otherwise.

So, just an interesting note for those of us "in the profession" that we can get so caught up in our own jargon that we forget how it sounds to outsiders.

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Considering some of the other ways economists describe people, that's an interesting one to get offended over.

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I think we just differ on the definitions of the term.

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Which is fine, but this is how the word is used in research.

Few in politics even consider the consequences of their "laws". The arrogance is massive. We saw it on display during Covid

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This is the kind of empirical economics that I really enjoy: looking for unanticipated but logical consequences.

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Exactly, when you think about it, it just makes sense. Granted, its on the margins but also when coupled with other factors it makes sense.

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We are finding a car problem now we are coming due for our fourth child. Needing more room and seats

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You're going to need an Escalade pretty soon. Congratulations!

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Might need a bus 🚎

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What is the impact of car-seats w/r/t child mortality?

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What I've seen is old research at this point, but after around 4 there wasn't much, if any, benefit. Then, it looked like they might actually be harmful as kids get older.

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Typical regulator unintended consequence

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