United Nations comparative fertility survey programs: balancing national challenges and international objectives

Abstract

This historical analysis examines the practice of international comparison through the study of three projects coordinated by the United Nations in Geneva around the study of fertility in Europe. In all three projects, the difficulty of adopting a theoretical framework is testified to in various ways, due to divergent interests in terms of research, implementation, national priorities and finances. These practical pitfalls produce mixed results in terms of reflection on the methodology of international comparison and its real possibility of being achieved.