Les apports et les promesses de l’économie politique de la fécondité pour l’étude de ses transitions

This historiographic contribution focuses on the political economy of fertility to understand the mechanisms and reasons behind fertility transitions. It concentrates on studies covering Western countries, with a particular focus on qualitative studies for the period between 1850 and 1980. The first section of this paper is dedicated to tracing the genesis of this approach. Understanding its origin allows us to shed light on the paradigms that informed its orientation, but also allows us to stress its limits. In the last part of this paper, we review recent studies that successfully applied this framework. Taking into account the context in which decision-making processes around reproduction were made, these studies offer new insights into the mechanisms that supported fertility transitions. To conclude, we identify lacuna in research on demographic transition and suggest new lines of enquiries that deserve attention