Regional Fertility Differentials and the Effect of Migration: An Analysis of U.S. State‐level Data

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Abstract
This paper explores, theoretically and empirically, the influence of interregional migration on regional fertility differentials. Specifically, it tests the hypothesis that regions that are closely linked through migration have, all else held constant, a lower differential in fertility than regions that are relatively isolated from one another. A model linking the fertility differential between two states to migration as well as a number of socioeconomic variables is articulated. The model is tested by means of a randomization procedure using U.S. state‐level data for 1980. Results support the hypothesis that an increasing volume of interregional migration tends to lower regional fertility differentials.