Population Imbalance, East Vs. West, South Vs. North: Social and Political Implications

Global population growth has slowed down and will probably level out before the end of this century. At the same time, population imbalance is increasing: In the more developed countries of the global north, populations have stabilised or are even declining; in Sub-Saharan Africa population is expected to quadruple over this century. At the same time, economic growth is concentrated in the global north and world economic inequalities are increasing, within countries and, particularly, between countries. All this creates a growth in demographic and political tensions: on the one hand, emigration pressures from the south to the north, as population growth outstrips economic growth and expectations; on the other, a dependence on immigration in the north, but these immigrants are viewed as a threat to the poor and marginalised sections of the population pushed out of the labour market. In the south, frustrated expectations and a closed door to the north lead to political radicalisation and personal tragedy; in the north, populist politics build on the fears of disempowerment, demonising migrants and politicising ethnic and racial differences. The purpose of this session is to look at local and global empirical analyses, focusing on the dynamics of these imbalances in population and economic growth, and their social and political implications.