Success of policies depends on economic conditions, social tensions regarding integration of foreigners and naturalization policies. Most have varied over the years, entailing several rationales, such as humanitarianism, recruitment of workers, providing asylum to refugees, as well as maintaining population levels. The migration policies of the United Kingdom, Federal Republic of Germany and Switzerland are described. Probably other social policies, such as housing infrastructure and child-care facilities, affect childbearing as much or more so than pronatalist measures. Childbearing fell to former levels rapidly in Romania, probably a result of illegal abortion. It has been estimated that the effect of these policies has been marginal and temporary: 0.2-0.3 children per woman in France, 0.1 in GDR, and 0.2 in Romania.
In 1966 Romania severely restricted abortion and divorce, and even screened working women for pregnancy to prevent abortion.
The pronatalist policies of France, German Democratic Republic, Hungary and Romania range from a system of family support so complicated that a special bureau has been set up to interpret it in France, through increasing benefits such as paid maternity leave in GDR, to an inconsistent support system in Hungary to coercive measures in Romania.
This paper gives examples of pronatalist and migration policies adopted by several European countries, and evaluates their effectiveness: migration is the only practical means of preventing population stagnation.