Variations of demographic patterns and trends range from very high fertility to sub-replacement fertility situations, from very young to aging populations, and from immigration-open to immigration-shy countries. This book, authored by John F. May, concludes that population policies are more necessary and relevant than ever for developed and developing countries.

The relationship between the economy and population dynamics has long been discussed, but is still controversial. Fertility is commonly assumed to follow the economic cycle, falling in periods of recession and vice-versa, though scientific evidence is still not unanimous on this. This report by Giampaolo Lanzieri looks at fertility trends in 31 European countries against selected indicators of economic recession.

A European team of 25 researchers focused on the issue of declining birth rates in three German-speaking countries. A summary of their findings and recommendations has now been published in a booklet that questions many commen myths. It can be downloaded for free in English, German and French (see link). The team, gathered between 2009 and 2012 by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Leopoldina, represents various disciplines – sociology, demography, history and medicine.

To promote an international exchange on the instruments, themes and implications of research-based reporting on ageing, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) organised a conference entitled “Changing Images of Ageing – International Perspectives for a Future-Oriented Policy on Senior Citizens and Generations”. The conference pursued the objective of stimulating exchanges on instruments of social reporting on ageing policy as developed and practised in various different countries. The proceedings are now available online.

The Generations & Gender Programme has published its first issue of the newsletter "GGP at a Glance", No. 01/June 2012. The newsletter provides short abstracts about recent research done within the programme, which is located at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Institute (NIDI).