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  • Title: Democratic constraints on demographic policy.
    Author: Grigsby JS.
    Journal: Comp Soc Res; 1984; 7():387-96. PubMed ID: 12340267.
    Abstract:
    The discussion compares the population policies adopted in Sweden during the 1930s to raise fertiity and the policies considered in the US during the 1970s in response to the high fertility experienced in the 1950s. Both sets of policies recommended increased availability of birth control, more liberal abortion laws, and greater employment opportunities for women. It becomes evident that the constraints imposed by a democratic system of government translate into policy recommendations that place individual freedom of choice and equal opportunity for all citizens as higher goals than any specific demographic target. Consequently, the population commissions of Sweden and the US made similar suggestions on how to resolve their opposite demographic problems. The demographic situations in the 2 nations were antipodal, and the countries also had very different social climates. This additional disparity was insufficient to counterbalance the apparently overwhelming influence of the democratic political systems in making virtually identical policy recommendations. Yet, the contrasting social climates of Sweden in 1935 and the US in 1970-72 may explain the different reactions each commission received. In terms of the responses by both citizens and government officials to the commissions' reports, the Swedish commission was more successful. Practically all of their recommendations were enthusiastically received and quickly adopted by the Swedish Riksdag. Yet, when the criterion for success becomes whether or not a demographic target was met, it increased in the 1940s and then dropped again while the same social policies were in effect. Even before the US commission began its study, fertility in the US had fallen and continues to remain low. These findings suggest that commissions in democratic countries will most likely never recommend dramatic measures in population policy. Thus, it is questionable whether such commissions in democratic nations will totally fulfill the purpose of making policy recommendations aimed directly at mitigating demographic problems. As demographic goals have little meaning outside of a broader context, it comes as no surprise that the population commissions of Sweden and the US broadened their scope of analysis to include social issues that extended beyond simply demographic problems themselves. To be effective, population commissions should be seen as a basis for making well thought out policy recommendations for solving concrete economic or social problems. The population commission can also be regarded as an educational forum for researchers, the government, and the public.
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