Bequests and the Size of Population When Population is Endogenous

Abstract

The consequences of interfamily bequests and endogenous population size for optimal and competitive population sizes and bequests are explored when individuals' utility is a function of own consumption, the number of children, and the welfare of their children. When a bequest benefits each member of a second-generation family, we show that competition leads to underprovision for future generations. Under a separability assumption, the number of children is also shown to be too large.