Population and human capital policy in the EU I: demographic policy (SEIS1 2015, PPMI2 2016, 2017)

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Aims and scope: 

Population and human capital are increasingly recognised as a key factor for the future of Europe. This course aims to provide a comprehensive review and a detailed analysis of the different public policies, from family policy to migration policy, that have been implemented in the European Union, both by national and EU authorities, to try to influence the quantity (and sometimes the quality) of their populations. In so doing, this module introduces the concept of an emerging EU population policy. The approach to this issue is an economic one in which the concept of human capital plays a crucial role.

Topics: 

1. The population and human capital challenge in Europe. Population, human capital and growth. Social security. International security. 2. The credit problem and the rationale for a population and human capital policy. Labour migration and the rationale for an EU population and human capital policy. Attitudes towards a population and human capital policy. 3. Theoretical framework. Main options for an EU population policy. 4. Reproductive freedom. National policies on reproductive freedom. EU policy on reproductive freedom. 5. Economic incentives to fertility. National incentives to fertility. EU economic incentives to fertility. 6. Migration. National migration policies. EU migration policy. 7. The choice of a population policy for the EU. From population to human capital.

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