The Other Population Crisis: What Governments Can Do about Falling Birth Rates

by Steven Philip Kramer

Overview

In many developed countries, population decline poses economic and social strains and may even threaten national security. Through historical-political case studies of Sweden, France, Italy, Japan, and Singapore, The Other Population Crisis explores the motivations, politics, programming, and consequences of national efforts to promote births.

Steven Philip Kramer finds a significant government role in stopping declines in birth rates. Sweden’s and France’s pro-natalist programs, which have succeeded, share the characteristics of being universal, not means-tested, and based on gender equality and making it easy for women to balance work and family. The programs in Italy, Japan, and Singapore, which have failed so far, have not devoted sufficient resources consistently enough to make a difference and do not support gender equality and women’s work-family balance, Kramer finds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421429175
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	03/03/2020
Series:	The Animal Answer Guides: Q&A for the Curious Naturalist
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Steven Philip Kramer is professor of grand strategy at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, in Washington, D.C. He was a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center from 2010–11.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction: The Threat of Declining Birth Rates 1

1 Swedish Population Policy: The Pronatalism of the Left 21

2 Demography in France: From National Security to Family-Work Reconciliation 42

3 Italy: The Absence of Policy 70

4 Japan: The Politics of Position Taking 90

5 Singapore: The Failure of Activism 111

Conclusion: Can Government Policy Reverse Declining Birth Rates? 131

Notes 147

Index 165

What People are Saying About This

Sonya Michel

Its comparison of five cases of countries with population issues, the policies they have used (or failed to use), and the impact of those policies makes an important contribution to several fields: comparative social and social policy history, comparative social policy analysis, demography, and women’s/feminist studies.

From the Publisher

Its comparison of five cases of countries with population issues, the policies they have used (or failed to use), and the impact of those policies makes an important contribution to several fields: comparative social and social policy history, comparative social policy analysis, demography, and women’s/feminist studies.
—Sonya Michel, University of Maryland