Re: draft abstract Sex, Drugs and Cults

From: Steve Drew (srdrew_1@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Feb 22 2002 - 21:35:49 GMT

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    Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 21:35:49 +0000
    Subject: Re: draft abstract Sex, Drugs and Cults
    From: Steve Drew <srdrew_1@hotmail.com>
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    >Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 00:18:10 EST
    From: <AaronLynch@aol.com>
    Subject: Re: draft abstract Sex, Drugs and Cults

    I've expanded the footnote in the online version of this paper with
    the passages quoted below. I suppose I could work up a whole
    research project on the subject of negative wealth to fertility
    correlations, especially given the social and scientific implications
    that have been attached to the subject. The most recently added
    text is as follows:

    "... In such a society, most of the negative wealth to reproduction
    correlation would be attributable to the multi-generation wealth
    concentrating effects of people limiting reproduction. In any one
    generation, limiting reproduction saves the large sums of extra
    money it takes to raise large families. It also limits the ability of
    couples to have two breadwinners working outside the home,
    especially in demanding but lucrative careers. Women who do
    not intentionally keep their families small often become
    stay-at-home mothers. Men who do not intentionally keep their
    families small may come to feel more constrained from pursuing
    risky careers that have higher average expected earnings but
    also higher variance in earnings, in which the high variance in
    earnings poses an unacceptable risk to the other family members.
    Such men might then forego lucrative but risky entrepreneurial
    ventures in favor of stable careers with less growth potential.

        Between generations, those who limit their reproduction can
    spend more money on their children's educations and careers,
    thereby allowing the children to not only inherit more money, but
    also to earn higher annual incomes. The wealth concentrating
    effects both within and between generations for limiting of
    reproduction may exceed the reproduction-promoting effects of
    money going to an average individual.

        One way to study the causal effect of wealth on reproduction
    (even in societies where the two are negatively correlated) is to
    compare the post-winning reproductive careers of lottery winners
    versus non-winners who bought the same numbers of tickets at
    the same locations. If the winners exhibit higher reproduction rates
    after winning, it would suggest that wealth does have at least some
    fertility-promoting effect. ..."<

    Hi Aaron.

    Although this could be taken cynically (and there probably is some element
    in it) money buys silence. Although there seem to be a fair few 'rock stars'
    etc who have more than the average (2 ish?) via different females, we tend
    to find out because the journalists are looking for stories. OTOH, a rich
    businessman who few people have heard of, and cared about even less would be
    able to buy silence as it would be in the womans interest, as the papers
    would not care, and i doubt that many people are inclined to blackmail.

    It is likely that until very recently it would be difficult to prove
    paternity.

    BTW, it seems to me that a lot of the lottery winners in the UK seem to be
    past their child producing years, which might skew your results :-)

    Regards

    Steve

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