News & Highlights from the World Population Program 2020


15 December 2020
Empowering women could help address climate change

Current and future damages of climate change depend greatly on the ability of affected populations to adapt to changing conditions. According to an international group of researchers, building capacity to adapt to such changes will require eradicating inequalities of many sorts, including gender.  More

09 December 2020
Assessing the impacts of global climate change on population trends

The European Research Council (ERC) will fund groundbreaking research led by IIASA World Population Program Deputy Director Raya Muttarak, which will comprehensively address the impacts of climate change on population dynamics.  More

07 December 2020
Are people healthy enough to retire later?

While many people are now enjoying longer, healthier lives, current retirement ages are posing challenges for both policymakers and retirees. A new study looked into whether there is potential to increase the retirement age based on the relationship between working life expectancy and health aspects important for work ability for women and men in Europe.  More

17 September 2020
COVID-19 could cause declines in life expectancy in 2020 in severely affected areas

A new analysis of period life expectancy around the world shows that the COVID-19 pandemic could cause a short-term decline in life expectancy in many regions of the world.  More

14 September 2020
Climate change triggers migration

Environmental hazards affect populations worldwide and can drive migration under specific conditions, especially in middle-income and agricultural countries. According to a new study, changes in temperature levels, increased rainfall variability, and rapid-onset disasters such as tropical storms play an important role in this regard.  More

08 July 2020
When is someone old?

Populations around the world are living longer lives than was the norm just a few decades ago, presenting governments with significant challenges in terms of caring for their growing elderly populations. According to a new study published in PLOS ONE, understanding how to assess who is elderly is a crucial first step for our understanding of population aging.  More

03 July 2020
Wolfgang Lutz receives Honorary Doctoral Degree in Liberal Arts

In recognition of his profound contribution to the progress of human society and academic research, Chulalongkorn University awards Wolfgang Lutz with a Honorary Doctorate Degree in Liberal Arts.  More

26 June 2020
Planning for a growing elderly population

The fact that people are living longer lives represents one of the crowning achievements of the last century, but also requires careful planning on the part of governments. A new IIASA study investigated the prevalence of activity limitations among older adults in 23 low- and middle-income countries, to help policymakers prepare for the challenges associated with the world’s aging population.  More

16 June 2020
Homo sapiens literata - the brainpower for sustainable development

Universal education - particularly of women - has been a fundamental driver of human development and progress. The changes that education brings could also determine the future path of humanity, argues IIASA World Population Program Director Wolfgang Lutz in a new publication with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.  More

30 April 2020
A new approach to measuring inequalities in development

A new study by researchers from IIASA and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for the first time systematically explored and compared the use of the Human Life Indicator as a viable alternative to the conventional Human Development Index as a means of measuring progress in development.  More

28 April 2020
New ERC grant to explore making pension policies more fair

The IIASA World Population Program has received a new grant from the European Research Council to explore how to make pension policies more equitable by identifying fair normal pension ages and ensuring new measures of population ageing are up-to-date.  More

14 April 2020
Reducing the risk to children’s health in flood-prone areas of India

Monsoon rainfall has become more unpredictable in India. Floods and droughts have become more common and pose multiple risks to human health and wellbeing, with children under five being particularly vulnerable. New research finds that more assistance needs to be provided to communities in flood-prone areas to protect children under five from undernutrition.  More

13 April 2020
Exploring the link between education and climate change

What are the most effective ways to achieve desired sustainable development outcomes across all aspects of wellbeing, and how might the pursuit of some of these goals affect progress toward others? A new study by an international team of researchers aims to address these questions to help understand possible synergies and tradeoffs among these goals.  More

23 March 2020
How can migration, workforce participation, and education balance the cost of aging in Europe?

New IIASA research shows that higher levels of education and increasing workforce participation in both migrant and local populations are needed to compensate for the negative economic impacts of aging populations in EU countries.  More

17 March 2020
Rethinking mortality and how we plan for old age

Many people dream of comfortably living out their golden years. A new IIASA study however shows that older Europeans, and especially women, frequently underestimate how many years they have left, which could lead to costly decisions related to planning for their remaining life course.  More

03 March 2020
Study identifies regional malnutrition clusters across India

Childhood malnutrition in India remains a major problem. A new study shows that the problem is concentrated in specific geographic areas, which could help policymakers working to address the issue.  More

04 February 2020
Call for papers: Demographic aspects of human wellbeing

In the framework of the IIASA project "The Demography of Sustainable Human Wellbeing", the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research is accepting paper submission for the Special Issue 2021.  More

27 January 2020
Aging Demographic Data Sheet 2020

The updated Aging Demographic Data Sheet comprehensively presents new measures of aging, developed at IIASA, for all countries in the world and world regions.  More

13 January 2020
A new Horizon2020 grant quantifies migration scenarios for better policy

IIASA researchers from the World Population Program partner in a new European Union funded project that will have a focus on migration in Europe.  More



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Last edited: 06 November 2019

CONTACT DETAILS

Wolfgang Lutz

Interim Deputy Director General for Science Directorate - DDG for Science Department

Principal Research Scholar and Senior Program Advisor Population and Just Societies Program

Principal Research Scholar and Senior Program Advisor Social Cohesion, Health, and Wellbeing Research Group - Population and Just Societies Program

Wittgenstein Centre Data Explorer

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