Political Demography

Abstract

Political demography addresses some of the most fundamental questions related to the scientific study of both population and political behavior. What are the political consequences of population change, including the distribution of political power among and within states? To what extent do political factors determine population change, including the effects of widespread public policies to affect the size, composition, and distribution of populations and political forces that affect the mass movements of people both internal to states and across international borders. These subjects have attracted the attention of many of the leading theorists of politics and society since antiquity. Moreover, the issues are of sometimes passionate concern to political leaders and journalists of the present day. As such, political demography warrants more concerted and thoughtful attention by both demographers and political scientists. In view of the excesses that characterize much of the public debate, it is critical that academic writings on the subject be both well informed about the political and demographic substance and objective and nuanced in interpreting the often partial and conflicting evidence available.