We provide the first evidence that individual-level questions find more open defecation than household-level questions.
Hi, I'm Dean Spears.
Bio
I'm an Economic Demographer, Development Economist, and Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. I'm also an affiliate of IZA, an affiliate of the Population Research Center at UT-Austin, founding execute director of r.i.c.e., and director of the Population Wellbeing Intiative. My research areas include: 1) the health, growth, and survival of children, especially in India, 2) the environment, air pollution, and climate change, and 3) population dimensions of social well-being. With Diane Coffey, I am the author of the award-winning book Where India Goes: Abandoned Toilets, Stunted Development, and the Costs of Caste.
Latest Books
Latest Research Papers
Ex-Post average utilitarianism can be worse for all affected
According to Ex-Post Average Utilitarianism, prospect đť‘‹ is at least as good as prospect đť‘Ś if and only if the expected average well-being is at least as great in đť‘‹ as in đť‘Ś. We show that Ex-Post Average Utilitarianism can oppose the interests of all affected people.
Do fertility preferences in early adulthood predict later average fertility outcomes of the same cohort?: Pritchett (1994) revisited with cohort data
Pritchett (1994) influentially examined the relationship between survey-reported ideal fertility and period total fertility rates. Pritchett’s analyses found that country-period by countryperiod differences in fertility preferences could statistically account for the majority of the variation in period total fertility rates. This result was impactful because it suggested that preferences, rather than constraints such as contraceptive access, explain fertility outcomes.
Equilibrium effects of abortion restrictions on cohort fertility: Why restricting abortion access can reduce human capital, social welfare, and lifetime fertility rates
The United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has made understanding the impact of abortion laws increasingly important and timely. We investigate recent claims by policymakers that abortion restrictions increase birth rates; we also evaluate consequences for human capital and women’s welfare.
Long-term population projections: Scenarios of low or rebounding fertility
The size of the human population is projected to peak in the 21st century. But quantitative projections past 2100 are rare, and none quantify the possibility of a rebound from low fertility to replacement-level fertility. Here we provide updated long-term cohort-component population projections and extend the set of scenarios in the literature to include scenarios in which future fertility (a) stays below replacement or (b) recovers and increases.
Latest News & Commentary
Why Americans Aren’t Having Babies
Americans aren’t just waiting longer to have kids and having fewer once they start—they’re less likely to have any at all.
The World’s Population May Peak in Your Lifetime. What Happens Next?
The global human population has been climbing for the past two centuries. But what is normal for all of us alive today — growing up while the world is growing rapidly — may be a blip in human history.
Should we care about people who need never exist?
How do you value a life not yet lived?
The Repugnant Conclusion is a puzzle that has occupied philosophers and economists for decades. 29 scholars just published a new agreement.
It may be time to move on from the Repugnant Conclusion.
Latest Videos & Podcasts
Dean Spears on why babies are born small in Uttar Pradesh, and how to save their lives
In this episode of the 80,000 hours podcast, host Luisa Rodriguez speaks to Dean Spears — associate professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin and founding director of r.i.c.e. — about his experience implementing a surprisingly low-tech but highly cost-effective kangaroo mother care programme in Uttar Pradesh, India to save the lives of vulnerable newborn infants.
Interview on Where India Goes: Abandoned Toilets, Stunted Development, and the Costs of Caste
We provide the first evidence that individual-level questions find more open defecation than household-level questions.
What is India's Calorie Paradox?
Josephine Duh & Dean Spears of the r.i.c.e institute present their research on the relationship between increasing average wealth and decreasing average calorie consumption in India.