How can demography contribute to democratic resilience? Between alarmism, wishful thinking and expectation management

Simple explanations for the success of anti-democratic movements often fall short. This workshop analyses demographic developments and their consequences for skills shortages, the welfare state and regional provision. We examine how these factors contribute to fears of loss and political overload, and derive concrete options for political decicion-makers.

When

24 June

Where

Online - Zoom (GDPR compliant licence)

Logos of Population Europe and the Federal Institute for Population Research

The electoral successes of anti-democratic movements cannot be explained solely by the demographic or socio-economic characteristics of individual groups. More decisive are local perceptions of problems and narratives of loss in the context of demographic change. These manifest themselves in a perceived political overload, blame and the supposed failure of ‘established’ politics. Together with experts from academia, political foundations, and governments, we analyse these demographic trends and discuss practical solutions at regional and local level.

Date: Tuesday, 24 Juni 2025

Time: 14:00 - 15:30 (CEST)

Location: online (Zoom)

Während der Veranstaltung wird eine Simultanübersetzung Deutsch-Englisch angeboten. | Simultaneous translation German-English will be provided throughout the event.

In three thematic blocks, we address these questions:

How will the shortage of skilled workers develop and what solutions can be found to overcome regional economic problems? Possible strategies such as increasing per capita productivity, making better use of existing labour market potential and targeted immigration will be discussed.
Prof. Dr Roland Rau (University of Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research)
Can people's expectations of the welfare state still be met in times of emerging austerity policies and demographic change?
tbd
What are the consequences of regional population decline for basic services and households? How can social cohesion and solidarity between different generations be strengthened despite increasing migration?
Prof. Dr. Claudia Neu (University of Göttingen)

This event is part of the Berlin Demography Days 2025 and receives funding by the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ), the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).