<
https://theconversation.com/nz-first-says-population-trends-are-at-a-crisis-point-the-reality-is-not-that-simple-289038>
"NZ First’s announcement of a policy to encourage New Zealanders to have more
babies was made with dramatic urgency. But can we take the claim behind its
Kiwi Kids Grant – that population trends are at a “crisis point” – at face
value?
The grant would provide a kind of “baby bonus” to help young families raise the
first three children through the first three years of their lives.
On the surface, any fiscal commitment to support hardworking members of society
in a cost-of-living crisis appears positive. But there’s an ideological
component, too, as the grant would only be available to New Zealand citizens.
Elsewhere, governments have tried this type of intervention before, based on
the assumption that financial incentives will increase the number of babies
born. As the recent example of Poland shows, results are usually mixed.
The Kiwi Kids Grant looks similar to the “baby bonus” Australia tried in the
early 2000s, which also showed mixed results and may not have directly
increased overall fertility rates.
The bigger question, however, is whether there is a need for people to have
more babies. Advocates of such policies use terms such as “crisis” or “ticking
time bomb”, but the reality of New Zealand’s population growth isn’t that
simple."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
