The Wittgenstein Centre Conference 2026 on Demography and Human Capital will take place from 1–2 December 2026, at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, Austria.
The WIC2026 aims to advance theories, data, and multi-dimensional demographic methods for modelling human capital formation and its dynamics over time, and to connect cutting-edge evidence to policy debates globally. Human capital - education, skills, health, and capabilities - is a central driver of demographic change and a key lens for understanding social and economic development, inequality, and resilience.
Keynote speakers
- Ann Berrington, University of Southampton
- Petra Todd, University of Pennsylvania
- Manos Antoninis, Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, UNESCO
For more information about the conference and registration, visit the event page.
Agenda
Registration
Deadline for registration: 9 November 2026
IIASA contribution to the Wittgenstein Centre Conference 2026:
DAY I: TUESDAY, 01 DECEMBER 2026
11:30 AM | FLASH SESSION 2: EDUCATION AND FERTILITY DYNAMICS
A Harmonized Dataset of Education- and Age-Specific Fertility Rates for DHS Countries
Afua Durowaa-Boateng, Dilek Yildiz, Anne Goujon
Estimation of Educational Differentials in Subnational Cohort Fertility in Latin America
Itza A. Olguín Zúñiga, Dilek Yildiz, David A. Sánchez-Páez
01:00 PM | POSTER SESSION 1: EDUCATION, FAMILY, AND HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE
Climate Shocks and Early-Life Human Capital: Examining Effects on Maternal Healthcare and Birth Outcomes in Brazil and Zambia
Josephine Borghi, Chris Muna, Leticia Russo, Romain Clerq-Rocques, Sisay Debele, Moses Chisola, Chitalu Chama Chiliba, Everton de Silva, Dell Saulnier, Cherie Part
05:15 PM | FLASH SESSION 3: EDUCATION AND SKILLS: MEASUREMENT, TRENDS AND INEQUALITIES
Beyond Years of Schooling: Adult Literacy, Child Test Scores, and Economic Growth in a Cross-Country Framework
Endale Kebede, Erich Striessnig, Wolfgang Lutz
A Bayesian Model for Estimating Adult Literacy Rates
Bilal Barakat, Felipe Vaca
DAY II: WEDNESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2026
09:45 AM | FLASH SESSION 4: CLIMATE, TECHNOLOGY, AND HUMAN CAPITAL
Up the Down-Escalator? Health, Productivity and Individual Incentives under Climate Change
Michael Kuhn, Ivan Frankovic, Michael Freiberger, Stefan Wrzaczek
11:00 AM | SESSION 2: LABOUR FORCE PROSPECTS AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
China’s Demographic Dividend Has Moved from Age-Based Labor Supply to Skill-Based Productivity
Hengyu Gu, Yingju Wu, Guillaume Marois, Wolfgang Lutz, Tianlong Niu
Reducing Dependency Burdens in Mozambique: The Role of Fertility, Education, Female Employment, and Formalization
Guillaume Marois, Anne Goujon
01:15 PM | POSTER SESSION 2: SKILLS, MOBILITY, AND LABOUR-MARKET TRANSFORMATION
Conflict, Displacement, and Human Capital Loss: Afghan Populations in Afghanistan and Iran
Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, Meimanat Hosseini-Chavoshi, Wolfgang Lutz, and Dilek Yildiz
The Geography of Future Human Capital in Europe: Education, Aging, and Regional Disparities
Andrea Tamburini
02:00 PM | SESSION 3: MIGRATION, SKILLS, AND LABOUR MARKETS
Migrant-Native Skill Gaps in Europe: Evidence from two Cycles of PIAAC Surveys
Michaela Potancokova, Maria Paola Nicoletti Altimari, Claudia Reiter
Understanding Global Immigration: Age, Sex, and Educational Composition
Dilek Yildiz, Guy J.Abel
Upcoming Events
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Training workshop: Demographic analysis with applications to aging, health, and education
Online (Microsoft Teams) – registration required
How Cities Can Use Citizen Data for Climate Action?
Otto Wagner-Postsparkasse, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna
Science Meets Art Exhibition: Future on trial: Between unruly evidence and unfinished climate justice
Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), Seminar Room 1, Bäckerstraße 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria