1Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Mahadevananda Mahavidyalaya, Barrackpore, Kolkata-700120, India. E-mail: g.b82here@gmail.com
2Professor, Department of Economics, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700032, India. E-mail: sushil.haldar@gmail.com
Online published on 21 March, 2018.
Using panel data from 15 major states in India over 1983 to 2014–15, this paper examines the effect of human capital investment on fertility and poverty. Both the static and dynamic panel results confirm that there exists a strong impact of human capital investment on reduction of fertility and poverty. It is observed that the inequality of human capital investment, comprising health care and education spending across the major states over time is increasing. Unequal distribution and inadequate social sector spending generates differential decline of fertility and poverty in Indian states. This finding is expected to have some policy relevance in the context of future demographic dividend, inclusive growth, poverty reduction and fertility regulation.
