Topic

Demographic Research on Countries of the Global South

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For some time now, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany have been studying population developments in countries of the Global South. In doing so, they repeatedly show clear differences to countries of the Global North. This page provides an overview of the current research. 

Mortality

Mortality, fertility and migration - the three pillars of demography influence the development of populations worldwide. Not only in countries of the Global South, changing the perspective from the number of children who died to the number of mothers who lost a child in their lifetime opens up the possibility to analyze the far-reaching consequences of child death for families.

Life in a Violent Country can be Years Shorter and Much Less Predictable – Even for Those Not Involved in Conflict

Global Comparison: How Many Mothers Have Lost a Child

Mothers May Experience the Death of an Adult Child More Often

Demographic Analysis Reveals the Long Shadow of Genocide in Guatemala

Mortality Worldwide: Be Generous, Live Longer

Fertility

In the area of fertility, MPIDR Researchers study how birth rates develop in urban and rural areas, or how the fact whether mothers breastfeed influences the birth rate.

Most Women in Sub-Saharan Africa Re-marry Quickly after Divorce or Widowhood, Even Though Re-Marriage Rates are Declining

Simultaneous Care Time Demands are Higher for Parents in the Global South

Fertility in African Countries: Remarried Women Have Less Children

Fertility in the Global South: Large Income Inequality, Large Differences in Timing of Motherhood

The Relationship Between Migration and Family Formation Depends on Class and Gender

The Higher Developed a Country, the Weaker the Contraceptive Effect of Breastfeeding

Fertility in the Global South: Decline not equally pronounced across regions

How Fertility Declined in Latin America Amongst Different Social Classes in the 20th Century

New Study Analyses Interrelations Among Family Characteristics

Migration

In the area of migration, MPIDR Researchers are studying how natural disasters affect migration patterns or which regions are growing faster than others and why.

Migration of Academics: Economic Development Does Not Necessarily Lead to Brain Drain

Cities in the Global South Grow due to Immigration from Abroad

Tracing relocations from Puerto Rico with Facebook data

Science of Science

In a context of existing inequalities in the production of science MPIDR Researchers argue that a view that considers knowledge produced in or about the Global North as more ‘universal’ or ‘generalizable,’ whereas knowledge about the South is considered ‘specific’ and ‘localized is a form of Eurocentrism.

Science of Science: Is Knowledge Produced in the Global North Perceived as More Generalizable?