Population Change in Europe, the Middle-east and North Africa ― Beyond the Demographic Divide

Current demographic trends raise new questions, challenges and controversies. Comparing demographic trends in Europe and the NAME-region (North Africa and the Middle East), this book demonstrates how population change interacts with changing economic landscapes, social distinctions and political realities. A variety of drivers contribute to demographic change in the various regions and countries considered, such as family policies, economic realities, the impact of educational differentials and the attitudes towards marriage. On the macro-level the new trends are restructuring the age composition of populations and are reshaping the life courses of individuals and families. In turn, the impact demographic forces have on the organisation of labour markets, on fiscal policies, on the care of the elderly, on migration flows and on political changes can be quite radical. The volume provides food for thought for those who are looking for a nuanced perspective on the background and future perspectives of demographic developments in Europe, for a discussion of recent demographic and political realities in the NAME countries, and for those who analyse the effects of contrasting demographic regimes on migration flows to and migration politics in Europe.

Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.tandfebooks.com/page/openaccess. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license.

Koenraad Matthijs is Full Professor of Sociology, and president of the Research Group Family and Population Studies at the Centre for Sociological Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium. Karel Neels is Assistant Professor of Demography and Statistics at the Centre for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Christiane Timmerman is research Professor and Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Migration and Intercultural Studies (CeMIS) at University of Antwerp, Belgium. Jacques Haers is Director of Academic Affairs of the University Centre Saint Ignatius Antwerp, Belgium. Sara Mels is project coordinator of the University Centre Saint Ignatius Antwerp, Belgium.