Family policies are central to the well-being of individuals in Europe, but they differ substantially across countries. Drawing on the OECD Social Expenditure database (SOCX), Olivier Thévenon, Willem Adema and Nabil Ali describe the different policies in European countries to support families...

Fertility fell rapidly in OECD countries in the second half of the twentieth century, a period marked by continuous economic growth in these regions of the world. A trend reversal has been observed in the last decade, however, and fertility hasstarted rising again in the most developed countries...

Most developed countries are introducing a system of support for families or expanding their existing one. Investment by OECD countries in family support rose from 1.6% of GDP on average in 1980 to 2.4% in 2003. One of the aims of family policies is to increase fertility while raising wom-en's...