Donaldson P J, Keely C B
Department of Demography, Georgetown University.
Fam Plann Perspect. 1988 Nov-Dec;20(6):307-11, 320.
Since the 1960s, the U.S. government has supported population and family planning programs in Third World countries, on the grounds that rapid population growth impairs the ability of those countries to develop economically; family planning programs contribute to fertility decline; and such programs help improve the health of mothers and children. Although the United States remains the largest single donor of funding for international population programs, its support has weakened during the eight years of the Reagan administration and patterns of funding for those programs have changed substantially. Since the 1960s, however, contraceptive use has increased in the Third World and fertility has fallen substantially. The decline has been uneven, though--considerable in some countries, moderate in others but very small in many. The performance of family planning programs around the world has varied widely, and questions remain as to what, if anything, can be done to increase success. For the future, three aspects of population and fertility control in developing countries merit special attention: the supply of contraceptive commodities going to family planning programs; the maintenance and strengthening of the family planning infrastructure; and the need to examine the policy implications of differing patterns of fertility and population growth for national development and individual well-being.
自20世纪60年代以来，美国政府一直支持第三世界国家的人口与计划生育项目，理由是人口快速增长损害了这些国家的经济发展能力；计划生育项目有助于降低生育率；并且此类项目有助于改善母婴健康。尽管美国仍是国际人口项目最大的单一资金捐助国，但其支持力度在里根政府执政的八年里有所减弱，这些项目的资金投入模式也发生了很大变化。然而，自20世纪60年代以来，第三世界国家的避孕措施使用有所增加，生育率也大幅下降。不过，这种下降并不均衡——在一些国家降幅很大，在另一些国家降幅适中，但在许多国家降幅很小。世界各地计划生育项目的成效差异很大，对于如何提高成功率（如果有的话），仍然存在疑问。对于未来而言，发展中国家人口与生育率控制的三个方面值得特别关注：提供给计划生育项目的避孕用品供应；计划生育基础设施的维护与加强；以及审视生育率和人口增长的不同模式对国家发展和个人福祉的政策影响。
