Is Europe facing a population crisis?
10 OCT 2018
Panel discussion on UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2018 The global trend towards smaller families is a reflection of people making reproductive choices to have as few or as many children as they want, when they want. Institutional, economic and social factors can empower couples and individuals to realize their own reproductive goals and desires—or prevent them from doing so. Even in the most affluent countries many people face barriers to a full realization of their reproductive rights. In Europe, many countries including Austria have experienced low fertility rates for decades, rising fears of potential population crisis.
Are such fears warranted? How are fertility rates and reproductive rights evolving over time and how do they differ across countries and regions? What are the main constraints women and men face in Europe when planning a family? What are the long-term consequences of their current reproductive decisions?
This panel discussion will present key findings from the UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2018, focusing especially on Europe. In addition, the panel will also provide highlights of the new global population projection scenarios prepared by the Centre of Expertise on Population and Migration (CEPAM) Project (collaboration between JRC and IIASA).
The panel discussion is organized jointly by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) / Vienna Institute of Demography (VID), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and Institute for Human Sciences (IWM). The discussion will feature invited talks by selected expects, including Alanna Armitage (UNFPA), Prof. Wolfgang Lutz (IIASA) and Prof. Shalini Randeria (IWM) which will be followed by open-floor discussion.
The event will have the following contributions:
- The power of choice: Reproductive rights and the demographic transition” – Key findings from UNFPA’s State of World Population report 2018 - Alanna Armitage, UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- Global population trends and the challenges arising from imbalances - Wolfgang Lutz, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU)
- Low fertility in Europe: Regional contrasts and policy responses - Tomas Sobotka, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU)
- Demography and democracy - Shalini Randeria, Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM).
Event details:
Title: Is Europe facing a population crisis?
Date: 18 October 2018, 10 AM - 12 PM
Location: Austrian Academy of Sciences Clubroom: Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna
Registration: Please register by 17 October 2018, vid@oeaw.ac.at
The Wittgenstein Centre aspires to be a world leader in the advancement of demographic methods and their application to the analysis of human capital and population dynamics. In assessing the effects of these forces on long-term human well-being, we combine scientific excellence in a multidisciplinary context with relevance to a global audience. It is a collaboration among the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the University of Vienna.