Global Meeting on Building Sustainable Generational Economies

For several revision cycles of the United Nations’ global population estimates, the estimated year at which population will peak and then decline has crept closer. In some countries, fertility has fallen faster or stayed lower than previous expectations while in others, it has remained high longer than previous expectations. The COVID pandemic has introduced mortality increases of a magnitude not seen in a century in many nations and overnight altered how we care for young and old persons. Overall, the future of global population change looks to be more volatile than expected. In this context, demography and the generational economy become central to many discussions of economic and social policy and planning that aim to meet the needs of all age groups and support global health, wealth, and well-being.

For young regions, we need to understand how to capitalize on population change to achieve demographic dividends. For aging regions, we need to examine how longer working lives, lower labor market and care economy gender gaps, or more investment in physical and human capital, may be able to sustain living standards. For all societies, we need to evaluate whether current systems of financial and social support can function as populations change, and what opportunities may arise in adapting to new realities. These are just some of the concerns relevant to building sustainable generational economies.

The 14th Global Meeting on Population and the Generational Economy will provide an opportunity for leading experts and policy makers to present and discuss evidence on how population growth and changing age structures influence macroeconomic performance, gender and generational equity, public finances, and opportunities for meeting sustainable development goals.

Alexia Fürnkranz-Prskawetz will participate in a panel discussion on Economic Impacts and Sustainability on Tuesday, 14 February, at 15:00-15:50 and will present together with Miguel Sanchez-Romero, researcher at the IIASA Economic Frontiers (EF) Program, their joint research on Socio-economic Consequences of Increased Longevity in Contemporary Populations on Thursday, 16 February, at 14:00-15:45.

For more information about program and registration, visit the conference website.