THE 19TH NORDIC DEMOGRAPHIC SYMPOSIUM 2014

18th – 20th September 2014
Nordkraft & Utzon Center, Aalborg, Denmark

Regional development with a focus on rural areas

The Planning Committee of the Nordic Demographic Symposium 2014 is pleased to open for paper abstracts. The submission deadline is April 15th, 2014, after which proposals will be evaluated and organized into sessions.

The topic for the symposium is Regional development with a focus on rural areas; however we welcome papers on all topics related to demography. There will be a mix of plenary sessions with keynote speakers and parallel panel sessions.

The symposium will take place at the harbour front in the city centre of Aalborg, Denmark. Here, years of effort to transform the city’s old industrial identity into an image characterising the city as being modern, enterprising and a centre of knowledge has resulted in the transformation of the old coal-powered power plant, Nordkraft, into a centre for culture, learning and sports and the building of the Utzon Center and Musikkens hus, the latter to be opened in Marts 2014. In these surroundings, the 19th Nordic Demographic Symposium will take place.

Theme

In the last 20-25 years, areas far away from the big cities have undergone significant demographic changes. In the public debate, words are that these areas are being depopulated; young women are seeking educational attainment in cities and metropolitan areas, while young men are left behind. Further, unemployment rates in these areas are high. Houses are empty and public institutions are fever just as local administrations struggle to cover the expenses for a growing number of elderly people. At the same time local employers have difficulties in attracting higher educated employees.

The wish for this symposium is to communicate the latest research in this field. The questions to answer could be: Which challenges do small cities and rural areas face in the future with respect to the population size and composition? What characterise areas that experience different developments? How has this development been administered, and does one find municipalities having managed to change a negative development and prosper as a community?

Submission and more information

If you wish to submit an abstract and present a paper related to demography at the symposium, please visit the symposium webpage for more information on the requirements for abstracts and the submission process as well as on other information relevant to the Symposium.

demografi.dk/the-19th-nordic-demographic-symposium.html

We welcome the abstracts no later than April 15th. We’re looking forward to seeing you all in Aalborg!

On behalf of the Planning Committee
Lene Tølbøll Blenstrup
Head of board, Danish Demographic Society

Travel grant for MA students

It has been decided to award up to four stipends to MA students, covering the conference fee, accommodation, and travel costs not exceeding 1.500,- DKR.

Eligible applicants must be either current or recent (graduated after June 2012) MA students studying demography or demography-related issues, who are paying members of one of the national demographic societies. The grantee must present a paper at the Nordic Demographic Symposium.

Applicants have to submit an abstract for the symposium as described above AND send an extended abstract (2-4 pages) or a full paper to the Planning Committee (info@demografi.dk) along with a short letter stating that this is an application for a MA travel grant.

The Planning Committee, Danish Demographic Society