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cgdev.org - Overpopulated? Aging? Interview with John F. May concerning the demographic future of the planet (Sens Public)

<sub>The following op-ed originally appeared in Sens Public.

Abstract: Among the world top experts on population policies, John F. May, a Belgian citizen, has been a Lead Demographer at the World Bank from 1997 to 2012. Before joining the Washington-based institution, he has worked for various organizations such as UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. He now collaborates with the Center for Global Development (CGD), a think-tank in Washington, while also teaching demography at Georgetown University. He has recently published a major volume, World Population Policies: Their Origin, Evolution, and Impact (Springer, 2012), the result of more than a decade of research, travels and experience. The book is already considered a reference in the field. John May has agreed to answer the questions of Sens Public.

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Sens Public – First of all, can you explain to us what a population policy is? What purposes does it serve, and what are the tools available to decision makers for implementing it?

John May – A population policy is a set of interventions implemented by government officials to better manage demographic variables and to try to attune population changes (number, structure by age and breakdown) to the country’s development aspirations. Population policies attempt to modify the various components of population growth. This may concern mortality or fertility, when it is felt to be too high or too low. This may also involve regulating international migratory flows or fostering internal migration currents, as was the case in Indonesia with the transmigration policy (population relocations on the archipelago). Finally, we may think of policies to support urbanization and to try to manage slums. More recently, the developed countries have also focused on their aging population problem. The means used to implement population policies are “policy levers” or targeted actions such as vaccination campaigns or family planning to change certain key variables.</sub>