PRB

(September 2008) Joel E. Cohen, professor and head of the Laboratory of Populations at Rockefeller and Columbia Universities and a trustee of the Population Reference Bureau, kicked off a new lecture series on demographics and development sponsored by the Center for Global Development, on Sept. 23 in Washington, D.C. Entitled “Beyond Population: Everybody Counts in Development,” his presentation focused on the links among population, the economy, culture, and the environment, and the need to examine development holistically.

Cohen outlined the demographic shifts and impact on industrialized and developing countries to 2050. Over the next few decades, the world’s population growth rate will slow and the world’s population will gradually become older and more urbanized; almost all population growth will occur in cities in developing countries. Cohen made it clear that population and demographic research has been largely overlooked in the discussion on economic development over the past 20 years.

Eric Zuehlke is an editor at the Population Reference Bureau.

For More Information

Joel E. Cohen’s presentation, a video and transcript of the event, and more information can be found at Center for Global Development’s Demographics and Development Lecture Series website.