The Demographic Dividend: A New Perspective on the Economic Consequences of Population Change

Abstract

Ten non-violent revolutions are considered, characteristic for the second half of the 20th century, that profoundly changed our world and our perception of it. Perhaps the most important of those, the demographic revolution, resulted in unprecedented changes both in population size and structure. An attempt is made to analyse the 'big perhaps', some of the incompletely comprehended economical, medical, social, ethical and political consequences of present and projected demographic changes.