There are reasons to believe the record-low U.S. birthrate could be only temporary as today’s young women postpone pregnancy. Several PAA Members featured in @nytimes.com piece: buff.ly/848YtKB
@karenguzzo.bsky.social @philipncohen.com
@alisongemmill.bsky.social @marthajbailey.bsky.social
CCPR Director Martha Bailey discusses how the declining U.S. fertility rate could still reverse course with the New York Times. @marthajbailey.bsky.social #UCLA #CCPR
Corrected link:
www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/ho...
He tolerated me after discovering how inured I am to extrinsic motivation, to his extreme credit (speaking to how generally wonderful he was to his student)
Congratulations to my @BU_Tweets
colleague Bob Margo, newly elected AEA Distinguished Fellow. A superb scholar and a fantastic mentor, very well deserved!
aeaweb.org/about-aea/hono
I am excited to organize this conference with Yana Gallen. Please submit, repost, and also circulate to your networks.
What often gets missed in stories about declining birth rates is that they're due to declines specifically among young women. Young women are exercising reproductive autonomy and are making considered decisions about whether and when to have children.
This is a good thing.
Glad to have been interviewed for this piece, along with @kaseybuckles.bsky.social @marthajbailey.bsky.social, and @econmsk.bsky.social. And be sure to check out the companion piece!
U.S. birth rates have been declining, but #CCPR Director @marthajbailey.bsky.social finds that there has been no drop in the number of children born over the last 30 years.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/u...
Find #CCPR Director @marthajbailey.bsky.social paper here:
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Happy to have contributed to this along w/ @karenguzzo.bsky.social @marthajbailey.bsky.social & Melissa Kearney. My favorite from Karen: “We spent decades shaming women 4 having kids under the wrong circumstances, 4 not having their ducks in a row. Now they are holding up their end of the bargain.”
📢 Call for Papers: 2026 Reproduction of Society Conference
How do contraception, fertility preferences, and policy design shape the modern fertility decline?
Submit your paper by April 3, 2026. Learn more: https://ow.ly/1brw50YkvFY
1/Universities need to systematically address the findings in the Epstein files. In my opinion, every university in which current or past faculty, administrators, trustees appear in the files, should establish formal bodies to review and assess.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
More job ops 👇
Thanks—interesting!
Does this hold up
controlling for income or education?
I am excited to be hiring two post-doctoral positions at UCLA--please share with your networks. www.aeaweb.org/joe/listing.....
This week CCPR's seminar series will feature @philipncohen.com discussing his book, "Research is Not Enough: Public Engagement and the Citizen Scholar." Join us on January 14 @12pm in Public Affairs 337.
Ungated version here: drive.google.com/file/d/1smVT...
I need to take a cue from @philipncohen.com and do more to disseminate my academic research on the determinants of fertility. I am looking forward to his book talk on Wednesday at @ccpratucla.bsky.social .
My review article talks about how to tweak Becker's model to include unintended pregnancy and the transition to lower fertility levels. Recent research in economics is about how modern contraception and legal abortion led to a reduction in unintended pregnancy: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Thank you, Philip, for doing double duty!! We are excited for your visit!
Research Is Not Enough: Public Engagement and the Citizen Scholar Philip N. Cohen (University of Maryland) January 14, 2026 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. PT CCPR Seminar 4240 Pub Aff Building UCLA Campus What is the role of professional scholars in civic life? How and why should academics seek to reach audiences beyond their disciplines and institutions? Must there be tension between advancing along an academic career path and taking part in public conversations, or can these goals reinforce each other? Drawing from personal experience and in-depth research, this talk features straightforward advice that acknowledges professional risks as well as rewards. Cohen embraces the reciprocal relationship between professional scholarship and active citizenship. arguing that aligning personal and vocational identities can enhance both public and academic contributions. He explores intellectual work on social media, science communication, political activism, and how to build trust while developing a public intellectual identity. College | Social Sciences UCLA California Center for Population Research
Click to RSVP Michael Geruso After the Spike Population, Progress, and the Case for People Dean Fancinating, thoughtful, and timely." Simon Jenson, NobelLaurae in Ecenemics College | Social Sciences UCLA California Center for Population Research invites you to a book talk on ... After the Spike Michael Geruso, University of Texas Commentary By Martha Bailey (UCLA) and Philip Cohen (University of Maryland) January 14, 2026 6:00 p.m. PT Reception to Follow Royce Hall, Room 314 UCLA Campus Michael Geruso is an economic demographer, public economist, and Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. His book, "After the Spike' with co-author Dean Spears, investigates what depopulation would mean for the climate, living standards, equity, progress, freedom, and humanity's general welfare. And what it would mean if, instead, people came together to share the work of caregiving. making parenting better and stabilizing our numbers. Martha Bailey is a UCLA Professor of Economics and Director of the California Center for Population Research. As an economic demographer, labor economist, and economic historian, Bailey's rescarch focuses on the short- and long-run determinants of childbearing in the U.S. Philip Cohen is a University of Maryland Professor of Sociology. His research focuses on demographic trends, family structure, the division of labor, health disparities, as well as open science and related topics.
Hey, I'm going to UCLA next week! Two events Wednesday, 14 Jan. at the California Center for Population Research:
1. A talk on my book, Citizen Scholar (ccpr.ucla.edu/event/philip...)
2. A discussion on a book talk by Michael Geruso on “After the Spike." ccpr.ucla.edu/event/michae...
#demography
CCPR is excited to host
@mikegeruso.bsky.social to discuss his book, After the Spike, Wednesday, Jan 11 @6pm, in UCLA's 314 Royce Hall. Comments by CCPR Director @marthajbailey.bsky.social
& @philipncohen.com. Reception to follow. RSVP here: eventsrsvp.ucla.edu/CCPRLecture2...
The Quiet Collapse of America’s Reproductive Health Safety Net kffhealthnews.org/MjEwNjQwMQ by @celinegounder.com via @kffhealthnews.org CC: @marthajbailey.bsky.social @whitneysrice.bsky.social @rachelfey.bsky.social @bthomas520.bsky.social @megankavanaugh.bsky.social
Subsidizing contraception has large and persistent effects on the choice of contraceptive method, resulting in significantly fewer pregnancies and abortions in the US, from @marthajbailey.bsky.social, Rebolledo, Gorgulu, Figone, Lang, Prettyman, and Dalton www.nber.org/papers/w34400
People magazine has an exclusive excerpt of my book today, one week and one day until pub!!
people.com/why-women-ca...
I signed an open letter from economists supporting Fed independence & Governor Lisa Cook
Letter: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Add your name by Monday: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
I signed an open letter from economists supporting Fed independence & Gov. Lisa Cook. Add your name by Monday: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... |
Letter: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
This letter is not particularly controversial in its assertions and the topic of central bank independence is extremely important. Takes about 4.5 minutes to read and sign (if you agree.) Looks like the number of signatories is up since Tatyana's post, but Economics needs YOU!
