 Journalist Martin Wolf of the Financial Times has called population "the most important issue confronting humanity in this century." Important new books on the future of development have devoted significant attention to it. Debates about population policy continue to stir and columnists and academics argue about what lies ahead if global population challenges are ignored. Population—the study of people using the tool of demography—is now appearing across development discourse, with policy implications that reach far beyond family planning and reproductive health.
 Population IS undeniably important—but how, for whom, and with what consequences is a complex story. Two things are certain:
- Population issues in the 21st century are different from those in the last century.
- With the development world midway through an uncertain effort to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, population issues will be central to the success or failure of six of the eight goals.
CGD is launching an initiative to examine the role of population in development that, through a series of lectures, will recast the current development agenda to include the broad implications of demographic change.
View the series here.
External Resources
View a series of lectures on The Population Question in Development- the need for a debate in the Netherlands co organized by The World Population Foundation and the Society of International Development (SID, Netherlands Chapter)
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The Center for Global Development Working Group on UNFPA’s Leadership
Transition urges the UNFPA to sharpen its focus in pursuing the Programme of
Action developed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and
Development.
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The time is right to reinvigorate UNFPA. Seventeen years after the groundbreaking ICPD meeting, UNFPA needs to make itself the lead agency for population, sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights in the UN system, as well as be more visible externally.
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To mark the start of the new year, my guest is Amanda Glassman, CGD’s new director of global health. I asked Amanda, who previously worked at the Inter-American Development Bank, the Brookings Institution, and USAID, where she sees opportunities for progress on global health in 2011 and...
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This essay explores how demographic factors affect infrastructure and the choices policymakers should make concerning infrastructure development.
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For the first time, the elderly, urban populations, and women of reduced fertility outnumber their counterparts. Joel E. Cohen discusses how changing demographic trends will require a heavier focus on primary and secondary education, reproductive health and demographically sensitive urban planning.
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As part of the "Demographics and Development in the 21st Century" series, CGD Senior Fellow David Wheeler will summarize the cross-country research he conducted with Dan Hammer on the economics of population policy for carbon emissions reduction. Wheeler includes assessments of the effects of...
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Brain drain has long been seen in developing countries as an undesirable consequence of migration. This concern is amplified by the recent increase in skilled emigration as some developed countries orient their immigration policies to embrace higher-skilled workers. Economic theory suggests a...
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Economists, demographers and other social scientists have long debated the relationship between demographic change and economic outcomes. In recent years, general agreement has emerged to the effect that improving economic conditions for individuals generally lead to lower birth rates. But there is...
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Countries have tough choices to make over investing in different types of infrastructure. Do schools come first? What about irrigation and other agricultural needs so that populations can be fed? And they can't ignore the importance of roads, bridges, and other transportation in facilitating trade...
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In this video, Johns Hopkins University senior adjunct professor Peter Heller and Center for Global Development senior fellow Vijaya Ramachandran give a lecture on the importance of infrastructure in developing countries.
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The time is right to reinvigorate UNFPA. Seventeen years after the groundbreaking ICPD meeting, UNFPA needs to make itself the lead agency for population, sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights in the UN system, as well as be more visible externally.
-
For the first time, the elderly, urban populations, and women of reduced fertility outnumber their counterparts. Joel E. Cohen discusses how changing demographic trends will require a heavier focus on primary and secondary education, reproductive health and demographically sensitive urban planning.
-
This essay explores how demographic factors affect infrastructure and the choices policymakers should make concerning infrastructure development.
-
The Center for Global Development Working Group on UNFPA’s Leadership
Transition urges the UNFPA to sharpen its focus in pursuing the Programme of
Action developed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and
Development.
-
In this video, Johns Hopkins University senior adjunct professor Peter Heller and Center for Global Development senior fellow Vijaya Ramachandran give a lecture on the importance of infrastructure in developing countries.
-
Beginning in September 2008, the Center for Global Development is sponsoring a new look at "Demographics and Development in the 21st Century." The role of demographics promises to be fundamental in shaping the coming world. In this series, leading scholars explore how demographic changes may affect...
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In this video, Dr. Joel E. Cohen, renowned demographer and a student of global demographic trends for nearly 40 years, launched CGD population series with an overview of global demographic trends.
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Countries have tough choices to make over investing in different types of infrastructure. Do schools come first? What about irrigation and other agricultural needs so that populations can be fed? And they can't ignore the importance of roads, bridges, and other transportation in facilitating trade...
-
Brain drain has long been seen in developing countries as an undesirable consequence of migration. This concern is amplified by the recent increase in skilled emigration as some developed countries orient their immigration policies to embrace higher-skilled workers. Economic theory suggests a...
-
Beginning in September 2008, the Center for Global Development is sponsoring a new look at "Demographics and Development in the 21st Century." The role of demographics promises to be fundamental in shaping the coming world. In this series, leading scholars explore how demographic changes may...
-
Focus UNFPA: Four Recommendations for Action
- Apr 11, 2011
The time is right to reinvigorate UNFPA. Seventeen years after the groundbreaking ICPD meeting, UNFPA needs to make itself the lead agency for population, sexual and reproductive health, and reproductive rights in the UN system, as well as be more visible externally.
-
Focus UNFPA: Four Recommendations for Action (brief)
- Apr 11, 2011
The Center for Global Development Working Group on UNFPA’s Leadership
Transition urges the UNFPA to sharpen its focus in pursuing the Programme of
Action developed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and
Development.
-
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Beyond Population: Everyone Counts in Development - Working Paper 220
- Jul 26, 2010
For the first time, the elderly, urban populations, and women of reduced fertility outnumber their counterparts. Joel E. Cohen discusses how changing demographic trends will require a heavier focus on primary and secondary education, reproductive health and demographically sensitive urban planning.
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The Human Footprint on Climate
- Jun 23, 2009
As part of the "Demographics and Development in the 21st Century" series, CGD Senior Fellow David Wheeler will summarize the cross-country research he conducted with Dan Hammer on the economics of population policy for carbon emissions reduction. Wheeler includes assessments of the effects of...
-
Brain Drain or Gain: Examining International Migration
- May 6, 2009
Brain drain has long been seen in developing countries as an undesirable consequence of migration. This concern is amplified by the recent increase in skilled emigration as some developed countries orient their immigration policies to embrace higher-skilled workers. Economic theory suggests a...
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Population, Poverty and Economic Development
- Apr 7, 2009
Economists, demographers and other social scientists have long debated the relationship between demographic change and economic outcomes. In recent years, general agreement has emerged to the effect that improving economic conditions for individuals generally lead to lower birth rates. But there is...
-
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Beyond Population: Everybody Counts in Development
- Sep 23, 2008
Beginning in September 2008, the Center for Global Development is sponsoring a new look at "Demographics and Development in the 21st Century." The role of demographics promises to be fundamental in shaping the coming world. In this series, leading scholars explore how demographic changes may...
UNFPA at the Center
- Spurred by the leadership transition that will soon occur at the UN Population Fund Activities (UNFPA), CGD announces a new working group to examine the United Nations’ evolving role in population and development, with specific focus on the UNFPA. Read more
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