News from the Network

On 20 June 2016, the European Commission launched the Knowledge Centre for Migration and Demography (KCMD).

Obesity and overweight is largely preventable, yet widespread around the world. They are particularly prevalent in richer countries. Since 1980, the global percentage of overweight adults has increased from around 30 to closer to 40. In Europe, the figure has reached 50.

Our lives are getting longer, yes, but this does not necessarily imply more active years. As life expectancy continues to rise, there is a natural tendency to tack these additional years onto the economically in­active phases of our life course, namely to post-retirement. This can be costly for pub­lic budgets. It’s “natural”, though, because adding them anywhere else would require a conscious change to when we retire. Polit­ically, touching retirement is risky, but this is not necessarily the problem. Many countries have already begun adopt­ing measures to prolong working life.

A long and healthy life, isn’t that what we all wish for? But what are your chances of living to 100? Can you influence this? How do your early years, your family life, where  you live, your lifestyle and your work affect these chances? 

“All in all, we know far too little about migration to be able to draw reliable conclusions. The main problem is the missing data,” Frans Willekens (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research) says. For this reason, he and his colleagues Douglas Massey (Office of Population Research, Princeton University, USA), James Raymer (School of Demography, Australia National University, Canberra) and Cris Beauchemin (Institute National d’Études Démographiques, Paris, France) call on both the research community and on political institutions to take action.

Migration is one of the major factors causing population change in Europe today. As a result, European societies have become more ethnically diverse over the last decades. Understanding societal developments among Europe’s heterogeneous population requires better insight in the life courses and family dynamics of migrants.

Wolfgang Lutz, Director of the IIASA World Population Programme and Founding Director of the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, VID/OeAW, WU) was elected during the 153rd annual m

Children of older mothers are healthier, taller and obtain more education than the children of younger mothers, a new study from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock finds. Mikko Myrskylä, MPIDR-Director, and his colleague Kieron Barclay from the London School of Economics and Political Science conclude that the reason for this surprising finding is the continuous increase of educational opportunities and good health for people in industrialised countries.

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced today (14 April 2016) the awarding of its prestigious Advanced Grants to 277 senior researchers, worth in total € 647 million. Among the grantees are two senior Population Europe researchers: Professor Francesco Billari (University of Oxford) and Professor Arnstein Aassve (Bocconi University).

In 2016, thousands of couples across Europe will decide to move in together—without getting married first. It makes sense. Sharing expenses cuts costs in an economy characterized by slug­gish wage growth, and living together simply saves time. Plus, cohabitation connotes a certain level of commit­ment without the legal—and social—obligations that come with marriage. You might call it a baby step. Whatever the case, they won’t be alone. By 2010, nearly 40% of French couples between the ages 25 and 44 had chosen the cohabitation route, registered or un­registered.