In The News

For Better Planning, Watch Global Demographic Trends

Joseph Chamie December 12, 2012
An understanding of demographic trends can assist governments in targeting policies for the future and saving money for education, retirement, taxes, healthcare, distribution of natural resources, and more. More importantly, targeted policies can ease resentment emerging over demographic imbalances. The globe can anticipate an additional 1 billion people by 2025 – a total of 8 billion – and...

What’s the Bigger Challenge – Baby Boom or Bust?

Philip Bowring October 5, 2012
The Philippines stands out in East Asia for its high rates of fertility and poverty. A Reproductive Health Bill would allow public distribution of contraception advice and methods, but Catholic bishops are adamantly opposed. The clerics warn that contraception contributes to population decline and potential economic struggles of a small workforce supporting social protections for the aged....

India’s Dilemma: Faster Growth or Poverty Alleviation?

T.N. Ninan February 22, 2012
Fast growth from globalization can produce uneven results, enriching some citizens and leaving others behind. Balancing poverty removal and fast growth becomes more difficult when politicians have to worry about their constituents, notes Indian journalist T.N. Ninan. He uses battles in India over food subsidies, designed to eliminate hunger, and an employment guarantee program as examples of the...

World Will Miss Economic Benefit of 1.8 Billion Young People

Fiona Harvey October 31, 2011
As the population hits the 7 billion mark, the world contemplates the challenges in providing adequate education, jobs and other opportunities for growing numbers of youth. The largest cohort of youth in the world’s history can represent great potential or missed opportunities. A UN report warns that the potential economic benefits of having such a large global population of young people could go...

Global Population of 10 Billion by 2100? – Not So Fast

Joseph Chamie October 26, 2011
As the world welcomes its 7 billionth person, the global fertility rate is about 2.5 children per woman. If maintained, that rate would lead to a global population of 15 billion by 2100. Pundits even fret about the most widely used scenario for global population – a UN projection based on about 2 children per woman, leading to a population of 10 billion. The UN projection is based on an...

The New Geopolitics of Food

Lester R. Brown October 18, 2011
“Prices [of food] are climbing, but the impact is not at all being felt equally,” argues Lester Brown in Foreign Policy. Temperature increases, drying wells, mismanagement of soils, and ever-increasing population growth, with an additional 80 million of people to feed per year, are behind the price hikes. As a result, the gap between food supply and demand is widening, carrying political...

The Challenging Billions

David Bloom August 26, 2011
It took the world centuries to reach 1 billion people in 1800, and 6 billion more have been added since. Technological changes that provided jobs for billions and supported families are not so fast paced, notes David Bloom, a Harvard professor, in an essay for Project Syndicate: “A failure to absorb large numbers of people into productive employment could lead to mass suffering and myriad...