Mortality decline and long-run economic growth

This paper examines the impacts of mortality decline on long-run growth in a dynastic family, two-sector growth model with social security. A rise in longevity has direct effects on fertility, human capital investment, and growth, as well as indirect effects through increasing unfunded social security contributions. Both the direct and indirect effects depend on the relative strength of the tastes for the number and welfare of children and may have different signs. The net effects of rising longevity on fertility tend to be negative, but positive on human capital investment and growth. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.