The population question and development: the need for a debate in the Netherlands

In 2009, a line up of leading international experts on the subject of population and development were brought to The Hague for a series of six lectures, held at the Institute of Social Studies (ISS)2 of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The lectures were co-organised by the Dutch chapter of the Society for International Development (SID),3 the World Population Foundation (WPF),4 and the ISS. The principle speakers invited from abroad were also joined by leading experts from the Netherlands, who provided comments and discussion. Each session privileged questions and debate from the audience, in all cases attended by a wide range of participants from Dutch academic and policy making circles and averaging around 100 people per lecture. Those attending included students and academic staff from various universities and research institutes,5 policy makers and civil servants, various Dutch media, and representatives from embassies in The Hague, international organisations, NGOs, and the business community.6 Two lectures in particular were reported in the NRC Handelsblad, the leading Dutch newspaper, one of which set off a debate between Tim Dyson, the first speaker, and a Dutch demographer.7 The success of this event bore evidence of the public interest in the important subject of population and development.