Population and Development

The field of population and development is a contested one for both scholars and policy practitioners. How do population dynamics, such as population growth and aging, impact economic growth? How can population policies shape women's autonomy over their bodies? Scholars have long debated such questions and continue to do so. In this course, we explore the evolution of paradigms and theories around population and development, examining what other factors might explain their rise and fall. For example, a consensus emerged at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo that reproductive health and rights should be the guiding principles of population and family planning policies. But, what explains this consensus at this particular moment? Throughout the course, we pay attention to questions of politics, global inequalities, and ethics. We will conclude the course by exploring how the "demographic dividend," a more recent frame in population policies fits in with previous paradigms and current global challenges