If a country wants to reduce its birth rate the best single way of doing this is to educate girls. This has been proven in all third world countries. Educated girls have better work opportunities, are seen as a source of income not only of children, gives them more independence, delays their first child, gives the husband a financial incentive to return the wife to work etc. Never underestimate the effect on traditional attitudes of new breadwinners in the family.
Tax benefits directed to those with small families might also work.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/pop994.doc.htm
This is why so much western aid has been directed for decades to girls and young women in Egypt - although these programs will take a long time to have effect and there will need to be jobs for the educated girls and young women.
The argument about forced contraception is absurd. It would never work in an Islamic country and, in any case, would be a gross violation of human rights. Mrs Gandhi tried it but needed a state of emergency to enforce it (mainly male sterilization). Don't think that male contraception would work in Egypt.
Zachy, the demographer quoted, is either very bad at his job or has an agenda. He quotes China as a success (another forced system) yet doesn't mention that the effects of this program are now leading to major labor shortages in the Chinese economy and this in turn is leading to the lifting of the one child policy.
http://www.pop.org/content/china-end-on ... not-really
Shame on the NYT for publishing such a shoddy article relying on poor sources.
