{{Short description|2004 book by Phillip Longman}} {{italic title}} {{about|the demography book on falling birthrates|the 1993 television film|Empty Cradle}}
'''''The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity (And What To Do About It)''''' is a 2004 book by Phillip Longman of the New America Foundation about declining birthrates around the world, the challenges that Longman believes will accompany it, and strategies to overcome those challenges.<ref>{{cite book|title = The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity (And What To Do About It)|last = Longman|first = Phillip|authorlink = Phillip Longman|date = April 2004|access-date = February 18, 2014|isbn = 0465050506|url = https://archive.org/details/emptycradlehowfa00long|publisher = Basic Books|url-access = registration}}</ref>
==Reception==
===Media appearances and interviews===
Longman appeared in a National Public Radio program ''Talk of the Nation'' debating Peter Kostmayer about the thesis of his book.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1918221|title = 'The Empty Cradle' and Shrinking Birth Rates|last = Conan|first = Neal|date = June 1, 2004|access-date = February 18, 2014|publisher = National Public Radio}}</ref>
===Reviews===
Richard N. Cooper reviewed the book briefly for ''Foreign Affairs'', writing that Longman's concern about falling birthrates is at odds with many people's concerns about overpopulation, and also noting that Longman believed that specific government policies were responsible for the lower birthrates.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/60143/richard-n-cooper/the-empty-cradle-how-falling-birthrates-threaten-world-prosperit|title = The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity and What to Do About It by Philip Longman|last = Cooper|first = Richard N.|authorlink = Richard N. Cooper|date = November–December 2004|access-date = February 18, 2014|magazine = Foreign Affairs}}</ref>
Spengler reviewed the book for Asia Times, concluding "The reader must fall back on his argument that faith, not pecuniary calculation, will motivate today's prospective parents. The reproductive power of an increasingly Christian United States will enhance the strategic position of the US over the next two generations, leaving infertile Western Europe to sink slowly into insignificance."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FI08Aa01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040908124127/http://atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FI08Aa01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=September 8, 2004|title = Faith, fertility and American dominance: ''The Empty Cradle'' by Phillip Longman|author = Spengler|date = September 8, 2004|access-date = February 18, 2014|publisher = Asia Times}}</ref>
Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, reviewed the book on his personal website. He concluded: "His research is certain to spark fierce debate and spirited discussion. In the final analysis, doesn’t it make sense that those who see children as gifts from God would have more children than those who see children as economic cost units? How could anyone be surprised?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albertmohler.com/2004/05/25/the-empty-cradle-falling-birth-rates-and-the-human-future/|title = The Empty Cradle–Falling Birth Rates and the Human Future|date = May 25, 2004|access-date = February 18, 2014|last = Mohler|first = Albert|authorlink = Albert Mohler}}</ref>
Bill Muehlenberg reviewed the book on his own blog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://billmuehlenberg.com/2004/08/30/a-review-of-the-empty-cradle-by-phillip-longman/|title = A review of The Empty Cradle. By Phillip Longman.|last = Muehlenberg|first = Bill|author-link=Bill Muehlenberg|date = August 30, 2004|access-date = February 18, 2014}}</ref>
==See also==
* ''What to Expect When No One's Expecting'' by Jonathan V. Last
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empty Cradle, The}} Category:Demography books Category:Demography Category:Demographics of the United States Category:Natalism Category:Population decline Category:2004 non-fiction books