Falling fertility rate and economic growth
Jul
03
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Freeregistration
Livestream
Population and economic growth
In recent decades, nearly all major economies have seen a sharp decline in fertility rates. In most developed countries, fertility has already fallen below the replacement level, and a declining population is imminent. And even developing economies like India are projected to become old before they become rich. A world characterized by low—and falling—population growth appears to be the new norm.
What does this mean for the future of economic growth? Should we expect slower population growth to be accompanied by weaker productivity growth? Or can new technologies such as AI potentially substitute for a shrinking population?
In this webcast, Michael Peters, Associate Professor of Economics at Yale University and CEPR affiliate, will explore recent research examining the relationship between population and economic growth.
Live from the UZH Studios, you will follow a presentation on the topic and submit questions via Mentimeter. The host is Maya Eden, UZH Professor of Economics and Affiliated Professor at the UBS Center and CEPR.
This is a public event with free access via livestream on our website in association with the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
In recent decades, nearly all major economies have seen a sharp decline in fertility rates. In most developed countries, fertility has already fallen below the replacement level, and a declining population is imminent. And even developing economies like India are projected to become old before they become rich. A world characterized by low—and falling—population growth appears to be the new norm.
What does this mean for the future of economic growth? Should we expect slower population growth to be accompanied by weaker productivity growth? Or can new technologies such as AI potentially substitute for a shrinking population?
Michael Peters, Associate Professor of Economics at Yale University
Speakers
Associate Professor at Yale University, CEPR affiliate
Prof. Michael Peters
Michael Peters is an Associate Professor in the Economics Department at Yale. He is also a research affiliate at the CEPR and a faculty research fellow at the NBER. In his research he focuses primarily on economic growth and long-run economic development. Peters has worked on theories of firm-dynamics, highlighting the role of markups for misallocation, the importance of managerial delegation for firm growth in India, and the consequences of falling population growth (which are likely to be dire). In his work on models of growth and economic geography, Peters study the local consequences of large-scale migration, both in post-war Germany and for the US in the 19th century. Finally, he studied the process of structural change, both in the US in the past and for present-day India, emphasizing the consequences on inequality across people and space.
UZH Professor of Economics, Affiliated Professor at the UBS Center and CEPR
Maya Eden joined the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich as Professor of Economics in July 2024. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2011. Following her doctoral studies, she spent six years as an economist in the Macroeconomics and Growth Team of the Development Economics Research Group at the World Bank. In 2017, she transitioned to academia as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Brandeis University, where she was promoted to Associate Professor in 2022. Prof. Eden is affiliated with the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). She co-organizes the Virtual Seminar Series on Normative Economics and Economic Policy, serves as an Associate Editor of the Review of Economic Dynamics and a Co-Editor at Economics and Philosophy.
Associate Professor at Yale University, CEPR affiliate
Prof. Michael Peters
Michael Peters is an Associate Professor in the Economics Department at Yale. He is also a research affiliate at the CEPR and a faculty research fellow at the NBER. In his research he focuses primarily on economic growth and long-run economic development. Peters has worked on theories of firm-dynamics, highlighting the role of markups for misallocation, the importance of managerial delegation for firm growth in India, and the consequences of falling population growth (which are likely to be dire). In his work on models of growth and economic geography, Peters study the local consequences of large-scale migration, both in post-war Germany and for the US in the 19th century. Finally, he studied the process of structural change, both in the US in the past and for present-day India, emphasizing the consequences on inequality across people and space.
UZH Professor of Economics, Affiliated Professor at the UBS Center and CEPR
Maya Eden joined the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich as Professor of Economics in July 2024. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2011. Following her doctoral studies, she spent six years as an economist in the Macroeconomics and Growth Team of the Development Economics Research Group at the World Bank. In 2017, she transitioned to academia as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Brandeis University, where she was promoted to Associate Professor in 2022. Prof. Eden is affiliated with the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). She co-organizes the Virtual Seminar Series on Normative Economics and Economic Policy, serves as an Associate Editor of the Review of Economic Dynamics and a Co-Editor at Economics and Philosophy.