Demography is a discipline which is somehow fixed in a Procrustean bed: At many universities, it is subsumed into other academic subjects (such as sociology, economics, geography), thus often exposed to risks of budget cuts and staff shortages; while on the other side, the often small group of demographers in a department is stretched to cover a broad range of population developments. How can demography as an “interdiscipline” be better promoted? Should we put stronger emphasis on building our own corpus of population theory, as suggested by leading researchers? Or should we focus more on lobbying, i.e. raising the awareness of decision-makers in politics, the economy, society and the public about demographic issues? Should demographers focus more on applied research and collaborate with other stakeholders in designing new and innovative research? Or all of it at the same time? And what topics should we raise within the near future?
Participants:
Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, Warsaw School of Economics
Pearl Dykstra, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Andreas Edel, Population Europe (Moderator)
Jane C. Falkingham, ESRC Centre for Population Change
Wolfgang Lutz, Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
Livia Olah, Stockholm University Demography Unit
Emilio Zagheni, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
11.00- 12.30hrs