Recordings of Past Events

"We need to trust others if we have to rely on them taking care of our kids" - an interview with Francesco Billari. Questions: 1. As an expert in fertility behaviour, which recent development in that field would you consider most significant? 2. Does that mean policy can make an impact on birth rates, or is it rather economies that matter? 3. What other factors are important in the context of fertility?

"The care dimension can no longer be excluded" - an interview with Gerda Neyer. Questions: 1) Which demographic development in the last decade do you consider most significant? 2) Can policy measures help to increase fertility rates? 3) Do you consider gender equality the remedy to counter low fertility rates? 4) Will our lives become even more centered exclusively on work? 5) Which policy measures can be effective to reconcile work and family? 6) Can we handle the extra amount of care needed?

"The decrease in mortality will continue in the next decades" - an interview with Graziella Caselli (University of Rome "La Sapienza"). Questions: 1. Are all European countries ageing to the same degree or are there differences? 2. Will these differences between countries persist in the future? 3. Is there a limit to mortality decline and longevity? 4. What can be done to adapt the pension system?

An interview with Gunnar Andersson (Stockholm University) on family planning. Questions: 1. My partner and I are planning on having children, but both our jobs are very insecure and we think maybe we should wait until at least one of us is in a more stable situation. On the other hand, unemployment would give us more time to care for the baby. How do other people in Europe deal with this? 2. Are there differences between people with higher qualifications, who therefore also have more interesting job perspectives, and lower skilled workers?

"When you think of migrants, there is a very diverse population" - an interview with Helga de Valk. 1. You are an expert on migration: To what degree and in which ways can migrant populations contribute to softening the trend of low birth rates in Europe? 2. Are there demographic characteristics and behaviours of migrant populations that differ from that of natives? 3. When we think about how migrants adapt to the lifestyle of their new home country, what role does education play?

An interview with Iñaki Permanyer (Center for Demographic Studies) on social inequalities. Questions: 1. When I hear about the unemployment rates for young people in many southern European countries, I wonder how they manage to survive – what do you know about their living arrangements? 2. What is the situation if unemployment happens later in life, do families still provide support? 3. How many unemployed people actually have to cope without any support from parents or partners?

"We can not avoid working longer" - an interview with Irena Kotowska. Questions: 1. Are the ageing societies of most European countries bound to face a shrinking workforce and therefore declining economic productivity? 2. What are the differences in this respect between regions in Europe? 3. How could policy makers address these developments? 4. Which type of pension reform could be seen as a best practice example? 5. Will we have to not only work longer but work more?

"Migration is one of the worst predictable elements of the puzzle". An interview with Jakub Bijak (University of Southampton), winner of the Allianz European Demographer Award 2015. Questions: 1. People often think of projections as a “crystal ball” to predict the future. What do you personally find fascinating about forecasts and projections in the field of demography? 2. What are the main reasons that make projecting international migration in Europe so difficult?

"Who wants to have 40 years of forced leisure?" - an interview with James W. Vaupel (MPIDR). Questions: 1. Will we all reach one hundred years of age or are there different expectations across European countries? 2. Does the likelihood of disease and disabilities increase with higher life expectancy? 3. Is working as long as you can healthy? 4. Should we say goodbye to the idea of a general retirement age? 5. Is this kind of flexible working time economically realistic? 6. Do we have to expect a clash of generations?

"We have to start thinking about non-productive or non-paid work in a different way" - an interview with Jane Falkingham (Centre for Population Change, University of Southampton). Questions: 1. How do the shifts in population growth and ageing that took place in the last five decades differ from previous demographic transitions? 2. What do you consider to be the biggest policy challenge resulting from these changes? 3. Can these challenges be met within the existing framework of our welfare systems?