(WSJ) – Early last year, this quiet city in central China started offering serious cash incentives for couples to have more children, up to around $13,000 for a second child and $23,000 for a third. Births surged 17% for the full year.

Chinese authorities have held up Tianmen as having produced the kind of baby boom leaders would like to see nationwide. But it isn’t clear if the rise was a result of the rich payout or other factors. Some women said the birth incentives had little to do with their thinking on whether to have more children or not. (Read More)