Policy Insights

by Ester Rizzi and Malgorzata Mikucka Do our children make us happier? It is a loaded question, but one with important policy implications—and therefore worth exploring. There is ample evidence to suggest that the birth of a child increases parents’ happiness in general. Survey results show a spike in happiness in the year of the birth of the first child. This jump is especially high for mothers, who reported an increase in happiness comparable to the drop reported following a divorce, about half a point (see Figure 1).

by Patrick I. Dick A couple of weeks ago, television on (the ever-encroaching) Valentine’s Day was predictably replete with romantic comedies. Most of the films I recognised had happy endings—appropriate on a day of upbeat marketing. In many cases, happy endings meant children, or at least the commitment to start a family. One network bucked the trend, however, apparently deciding that childlessness fit the bill.

by Sebastian Königs Latvia faces a huge demographic challenge. Since restoration of its independence in 1991, the country lost more than a quarter of its resident population. In 2015, the population dropped below 2 million for the first time since the 1950s, down from 2.7 million in 1989.

by Michaela Kreyenfeld Explanations for childlessness have long abounded in popular culture. Some have chalked it up to decaying mores, others to cataclysmic events like war or economic disaster—still others to policy, which can be the cause or effect of any of these. But like so much in science, reality does not necessarily fit, or at least fit nicely, with what we "observe" on a daily basis.

by Tracey Burns "My son was accepted into film-making camp, and he’s only seven years old! I’m so proud. The only problem is that I’m not sure how I will get him there since the twins have their dance class and then empathy workshop on the same afternoon" – On the phone with my friend, I make polite noises but inside I am thinking: what ever happened to kids having time to run around and just have fun?

by Aurelijus Veryga In principle, the goal of any public health policy is to make people’s lives in terms of health problems as boring as possible. When people don’t have to worry about their health, they can live out their normal lives, they can spend time with their families, they can work. Here is why I think lives in Europe are not boring enough yet.

Pension reform is one of the most difficult and politically charged areas of social policy. This is true not only in the United States, where social security has been called the "third rail of American politics" – touch it and you die –, but also in many European countries. Changing the rules of retirement, such as pension ages and benefit levels, is unpopular and a tough sell for governments; raising pensions and allowing people to stop working earlier, by contrast, is a good way to make friends and builds support among an ageing electorate.

If we may, we’d like to start this interview with a challenge. Explain to me, in as few words as possible, the rational—the raision d’être—behind public health policy. AV: To be very short, public health policy should make people's lives, in terms of health problems, as boring as possible so they can live out their normal lives, so they can spend time with their family, so they can work. I would say this is the most general definition of public health.

“We should see large ethnic minority families as an asset for our low-fertility societies and ensure that these families are supported,” argues Hill Kulu, Professor at the University of Liverpool, in his exclusive interview for Population Europe. He offers a practical example: "In the UK, the housing stock mostly consists of two and three-bedroom houses; four-bedroom houses are seen as a luxury, but they are essential for many ethnic minority families to avoid overcrowding."

by Agnes Uhereczky Let’s begin with a challenge. Find for me a working parent or carer who has not experienced some form of negative treatment from their boss or co-workers because of their caring responsibilities. This can range from sarcastic comments to outright demotion. I expect there are few.