The POPJUS Program continues and builds upon research activities previously undertaken in the IIASA World Population and Risk and Resilience programs. Insights into current and future population sizes, structures, and distributions are fundamental to understanding human impacts on ecosystems and simultaneously, the impact of environmental changes on human wellbeing differentiated by sub-populations.

The program’s research agenda embraces the key priority in the IIASA strategic plan by identifying sustainable development challenges and exploring people-centric systems solutions for sustainable, resilient, just and equitable societies. The program focuses on strengthening the human-centered and population-based approach, taking into consideration equity and the just distribution of opportunities, outcomes, and processes. In doing so, the program builds on existing strengths and expertise in population and human capital modeling as well as expertise in understanding, managing, and equitably governing systemic and existential risks associated with global change. The program will continue to invest in advancing its methods, approaches, and data to deliver results that can be incorporated into system analytical models, inclusive policy processes, and ultimately into equitable and effective policy pathways and transformations. 

POPJUS Research Groups

EQU

Equity and Justice (EQU)

The EQU Group focuses on the human dimension of selected globally relevant policy challenges, with the aim of delineating and advancing their analysis, management, and governance with special attention paid to the design and application of equity and justice frameworks, both within the group and across IIASA.

MIG

Migration and Sustainable Development (MIG)

MIG focuses on applying advanced data collection and estimation methods to quantify and better understand the trends, patterns, drivers, and consequences of different types of migration considering its interactions with the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

MDM

Multidimensional Demographic Modeling (MDM)

Through its research, the MDM Group aims to advance demographic modeling methods to assess and forecast population dynamics with a focus on demographic and spatial heterogeneity under different socioeconomic scenarios at the global, national, and sub-national level.

SHAW

Social Cohesion, Health, and Wellbeing (SHAW)

The SHAW Group’s research activities directly and comprehensively addresses the measurement of human wellbeing in its multiple dimensions with a special focus on health as a key component and social cohesion as a key determinant of wellbeing.

Young Scientists Summer Program

The Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) at IIASA offers an exceptional opportunity for PhD students to engage in collaborative research with IIASA's interdisciplinary teams.

YSSP opportunities in the POPJUS          More information on applying to the YSSP

Wittgenstein Centre

POPJUS is one of the three pillars of The Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, a collaboration among the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the University of Vienna.

Read POPNET Newsletter          WIC Report of Activities 2018–2022

Models, tools, datasets

stakeholder groups

Social and Policy Simulations

Population of the world

Wittgenstein Centre Human Capital Data & Graphic Explorer Version 3.0 (WCDE)

Population

POPULATION AND HUMAN CAPITAL PROJECTIONS (SSP 2023)

EU flags

Demographic scenarios for the EU

Projects

Wildfire

Systems approach to EU wildfire risk management project (FIRELOGUE)

handshaking in modern open green work space

Sustainability Performances, Evidence and Scenarios (SPES)

grandparents using tablet

Cognitive health in aging society – The role of context for cognitive functioning and related policy implications in Europe (CHIAS)

People figurines on a map of Western Europe

Policy REcommendations to Maximise the beneficial Impact of Unexplored Mobilities in and beyond the European Union (PREMIUM_EU)

Staff

Anne Goujon profile picture

Anne Goujon

Program Director and Principal Research Scholar (POPJUS); Acting Research Group Leader and Principal Research Scholar (MDM)

Claudia Reiter profile picture

Claudia Reiter

Research Scholar (MDM); Guest Research Scholar (EF)

Placeholder, because no staff image is available

Wendy Vanesa Ramírez González

Guest Research Assistant (MIG)

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Denise Watzenig

Program and Project Officer (POPJUS, EQU)

News

SPARCCLE In-Person Project Meeting and Workshops

05 November 2024

SPARCCLE Consortium Marks One-Year Milestone with In-Person Meeting and Workshops

The SPARCCLE consortium gathered at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) from 8th to 10th October for an in-person meeting and workshops, celebrating a year of progress and planning for the next phases. The three-day event brought together consortium members from across nine countries, as well as the project’s esteemed Stakeholder Advisory Board members.
Mother and daughter

05 November 2024

Women's education influences fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa

New research reveals a strong link between higher female education and lower fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Educated women are driving a shift toward smaller families and even influencing less educated peers. This new forecasting model offers policymakers valuable insights into how women's education shapes population trends, aiding sustainable development efforts.
SDGs

17 October 2024

How can policymakers and scientists help speed up progress to achieve the SDGs?

IIASA researchers helped to identify three focus areas at the intersection of science and policy, which could foster transformative action to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their priorities include exploiting SDG synergies, modeling long-term policy impacts, and co-developing tools together with relevant stakeholders.

Events

Focus

Modern city with eco-friendly architecture: green facades, rooftop gardens, integrated public transportation systems, and urban design prioritizing climate resilience

04 September 2024

The role of urban green spaces as nature-based solutions in Korea and Germany

Imagine a city where every neighborhood has lush green spaces that not only beautify the area but also improve the quality of life for its residents. How can we work together to make this vision a reality? Jaewon Son, a participant in the 2024 IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program shares insights into this important question.

Paper faces depicting different cultural groups unity and different cultures in society as a celebration of diversity

31 July 2024

What are we talking about when we talk about justice?

Prompted by a colleague’s question about whether justice is the same as ethics, Elliott Woodhouse sheds light on the nuances of justice as a specific approach to ethics and introduces the IIASA justice framework, a comprehensive tool for systems analysts to integrate justice considerations into their work.