The world's population has grown by five billion people over the past century, an astounding 300 percent increase. Yet it is actually the decline in family size and population growth that is the issue attracting greatest concern in many countries. This eye-opening book looks at demographic trends in Europe, North America, and Asia—areas that now have low fertility rates—and argues that there is an essential yet often neglected political dimension to a full assessment of these trends. Political decisions that promote or discourage marriage and childbearing, facilitate or discourage contraception and abortion, and stimulate or restrain immigration all have played significant roles in recent trends.

"The claim that politics matters (not everywhere and at all times) is given ample support throughout the volume. Anyone interested in how it figures in a big picture of key facets of contemporary demography—be it low fertility, immigration, or something else—would find perusing the book rewarding. It certainly has a potential of serving as an inspiration for studies on other countries or regions of the same nature."—Miroslav Macura, IDEMO University of Geneva - IMR