Demographic economics

Demographic economics or population economics is the application of economic analysis to demography, the study of human populations, including size, growth, density, distribution, and vital statistics.

Aspects of the subject include

• marriage and fertility
• the family
• divorce
• morbidity and life expectancy/mortality
• dependency ratios
• migration
• population growth
• population size
• public policy
• the demographic transition from "population explosion" to (dynamic) stability or decline.

Other subfields include measuring value of life and the economics of the elderly and the handicapped and of gender, race, minorities, and non-labor discrimination. In coverage and subfields, it complements labor economics and implicates a variety of other economics subjects.

Subareas

The Journal of Economic Literature classification codes are a way of categorizing subjects in economics. There, Demographic Economics is paired with Labor Economics as one of 19 primary classifications at JEL: J. It has 8 subareas, which are listed below with JEL-code links to corresponding available article-preview links of The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics (2008) Online:

JEL: J10 (all) – General

JEL: J11 – Demographic Trends and Forecasts

JEL: J12 – Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

JEL: J13 – Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

JEL: J14 – Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped

JEL: J15 – Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination

JEL: J16 – Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

JEL: J17 – Value of life; Foregone Income

JEL: J18 – Public Policy.

See also

• Cost of raising a child

• Family economics

• Generational accounting

• Growth economics

Related:

• Income and fertility
• Demographic dividend
• Demographic transition

• Demographic gift
• Demographic window
• Demographic trap

• Preston curve
• Development economics

References

• John Eatwell, Murray Milgate, and Peter Newman, ed. ([1987] 1989. Social Economics: The New Palgrave, pp. v-vi. Arrow-page searchable links to entries for:

"Ageing Populations," pp. 1-3, by Robert L. Clark

"Declining Population," pp. 10-15, by Robin Barlow

"Demographic Transition," pp. 16-23, by Ansley J. Coale

"Extended Family," pp. 58-63, by Oliva Harris

"Family," pp. 65-76, by Gary S. Becker

"Fertility," pp.77-89, by Richard A. Easterlin

"Gender," pp. 95-108, by Francine D. Blau

"Race and Economics," pp. 215-218, by H. Stanback

"Value of Life," pp.289-76, by Thomas C. Schelling

• Nathan Keyfitz, 1987. "demography," The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, v. 1, pp. 796–802.
• T. Paul Schultz, 1981. Economics of Population. Addison-Wesley. Book review.
• John B. Shoven, ed., 2011. Demography and the Economy, University of Chicago Press. Scroll-down description and preview.
• Julian L. Simon, 1977. The Economics of Population Growth. Princeton,
• _____, [1981] 1996. The Ultimate Resource 2, rev. and expanded. Princeton. Description and preview links.
  • Dennis A. Ahlburg, 1998. "Julian Simon and the Population Growth Debate," Population and Development Review, 24(2), pp. 317-327.
  • M. Perlman, 1982. [Untitled review of Simon, 1977 & 1981], Population Studies, 36(3), pp. 490-494.
• Julian L. Simon, ed., 1997. The Economics Of Population: Key Modern Writings. Description.
• _____, ed., 1998. The Economics of Population: Classic Writings. Description and scroll to chapter-preview links.
• Joseph J. Spengler 1951. "The Population Obstacle to Economic Betterment," American Economic Review, 41(2), pp. 343-354.
• _____, 1966. "The Economist and the Population Question," American Economic Review, 56(1/2), pp. 1–24.

Journals

• Demography — Scope and links to issue contents & abstracts.
• Journal of Population Economics — Aims and scope and 20th Anniversary statement, 2006.
• Population and Development Review — Aims and abstract & supplement links.
• Population Bulletin — Each issue on a current population topic.
• Population Studies —Aims and scope.
• Review of Economics of the Household

• Theodore W. Schultz, 1981. Investing in People: The Economics of Population Quality, University of California Press. Description and chapter-preview links.
• Republished as
• Also available online.
• JEL classification codes#Labor and demographic economics JEL: J Subcategories.
• Labor and Demographic Economics: Demographic Economics, NBER Working Paper abstract links from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
• Assaf Razin and Efraim Sadka, 1996. Population Economics. MIT Press. Description & chapter previews.
• Search of The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics Online, "population OR demography".
• Of which a complete list for JEL: J with corresponding Wikipedia links is at JEL classification codes#Labor and demographic economics JEL: J Subcategories.