title: Boundaries, political systems and fertility in Europe.
abstract: "We propose considering cross-border discontinuities in the context of homogeneous regions, that is, focusing on the detection and explanation of significant levels of organization of space by societies [in Europe]....We attempt to isolate macro-structures, which will provide us with an intermediary or systemic explanation for the behaviour observed....Our preoccupation here is whether countries or political blocs constitute levels of spatial organization.  We can pose the question this way:  do different areas in a same country show behavioural patterns which are, on average, more similar than those of areas in different countries?...We shall examine the distribution of total fertility (TFRs) in 724 areas of Europe in 1980 and 1988."
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Decroly
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grasland
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D001723:Birth Rate; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D005060:Europe; D005298:Fertility; D005843:Geography; D009934:Organization and Administration; D011057:Politics; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Behavior; Birth Rate; Comparative Studies; Cross-cultural Comparisons; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Differential Fertility; Europe; Fertility; Fertility Measurements; Fertility Rate; Geographic Factors; Organization And Administration; Political Factors; Population; Population Dynamics; Social Behavior--determinants; Spatial Distribution; Studies; Total Fertility Rate