Paradoxical Aspects of Demographic Change in Bangladesh Shapan Adnan In this somewhat speculative paper the author puts forward several hypotheses regarding the factors shaping fertility trends in Bangladesh, The specific problem addressed is that of explaining fertility decline under conditions of persisting absolute poverty. The analysis is set in the context of broader socio-economic and demographic trends in Bangladesh during recent decades. It is evident that the complex dynamics of fertility decline cannot be simply deduced from rates of poverty incidence. In fact there does not appear to be any unique relationship between the incidence of poverty and the direction of fertility trends.
