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Project: Supplying the Population – Interactions Among Demographic Trends,
Needs, and Supply Systems
Project Head:
Project Team: Cooperation:
Funding programme
Social-Ecological Research
Duration: project flyer(670 kb pdf-file)
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Interdisciplinary Junior Researchers GroupPopulation development becomes more and more dynamic. The present demographic trends are characterized by unprecedented declines in fertility rates and family sizes, improvements in mortality and life expectancy, demographic ageing as well as significant urbanization. Today, population growth is taken place almost exclusively in the developing countries, while in almost all of the industrialized countries the population will decrease in the coming decades. However, these processes operate at different levels, affect different societies at different times and in different intensities. This heterogenous and asynchronistic demographic processes are getting more prominent, both at the public as well as the scientific level. More and more the demographic issue is regarded as matter of critical concern for sustainable development: Changing birth rates and age structures, as well as migratory movements do not only influence economic and social development, but environmental aspects as well. The core of the research project concerns social-ecological issues arising from the interplay of various demographic developments, changing lifestyles and needs, and the supply of the population of a certain area with water, food, energy, housing, etc. If the regulation of those supply systems fails, serious supply crises and profound environmental problems can be the result. This may endanger the generative reproduction as well as the reproduction of the natural basis of life in societies. Supply systems integrate social as well as natural dimensions: they possess material-energetic as well as cultural-symbolic aspects; ecological, social, cultural, economic and technical structures and processes are enmeshed in each particular supply system in a characteristic manner. The project focuses on water and food supply as examples for supply systems of global relevance, which are regionally differently organized. Based on appearing social-ecological problem dimensions it will be analysed in which way population dynamics are relevant for problematic developments in the mentioned supply systems. Ordinarily, the growth of populations per se is considered as causal factor for environmental problems. Unlike this, it is studied how supply systems are influenced by different demographic changes. Major research topics are:
In the project population dynamics is systematically related to questions of supply. Differing demographic trends (growth of populations, high fertility, migration, urbanisation processes, as well as decreasing populations) and the related problem descriptions provide the reference point to reformulate the interactions between demographic, social-economic and ecological processes in terms of social-ecological problems. Water and food supply systems were selected as objects of investigation. They are particularly important for the satisfaction of basic needs and are, at the same time, experiencing major changes and challenges worldwide. Comparing different industrial and developmental countries it is investigated, how different societies organized particular supply systems for water and food, and which connections between ecological and social problems may be identified. On the basis of selected historical and recent case studies the major questions are translated into disciplinary projects. In parallel to the multidisciplinary analyses, the results of the disciplinary project parts and case studies are reintroduced into the interdisciplinary context as part of the theoretical integration. Five researchers from different social and natural sciences are involved: D. Hummel as political scientist (project coordinator, ISOE), C. Janowicz as sociologist (doctoral candidate, ISOE), A. Lux as economist (doctoral candidate, ISOE), S. Niemann as geographer (junior scientist, University of Frankfurt) and C. Hertler as biologist (junior scientist, University of Frankfurt). The members of the project use their research work to further qualify themselves – both in their own disciplines and as transdisciplinary researchers. Intermediary results of the project as well as specific issues will be published intermittently in a series of demons working papers Hummel, Diana/Christine Hertler/Steffen Niemann/Alexandra Lux/Kay Oliver Schulze (2003): Die Versorgung der Bevölkerung - Wirkungszusammenhänge von demografischen Entwicklungen, Bedürfnissen und Versorgungssystemen (Forschungskonzept). demons working paper 1, Frankfurt am Main (language: German, about the text: english) Hummel, D./ Hertler, C./ Niemann, S./ Lux, A./ Janowicz, C. (2004): Supply Systems as Subjects of Social-Ecological Research: Food and Water. demons working paper 2, Frankfurt am Main (language: German, about the text: english) Hummel, Diana / Kluge, Thomas (2004): Social-ecological regulations. demons working paper 3, auch netWORKS-Papers Heft 9. Frankfurt am Main (language: German, about the text: english) Hummel, Diana/ Hertler, Christine/ Lux, Alexandra, Janowicz, Cedric (Hg.) (2004): Examiniation of the concept of "Great Transition" within the project demons. demons working paper 4. Frankfurt am Main (language: German, about the text: english) Main Project PhasesProject Preparation (March 2002 – August 2002)Interdisciplinary Problem Analysis (September 2002 – February 2003)
Multidisciplinary Analysis / Theoretical Integration (March 2003 – February 2006)
Transdisciplinary Integration (March 2006 – August 2007)
Hummel, Diana (2006): Population Dynamics and Conflicts on Water Resources in the Jordan River Basin (Lecture)
Demographic Change – the Challenge of Sustainable Supply: The symposia to be held in German will take place on 6th July 2007 in Frankfurt. ... More |
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