A public lecture and book launch proudly organized by HKUST Leadership and Public Policy Executive Education (LAPP)
WHY DEMOGRAPHY MATTERS FOR HONG KONG AND BEYOND
DATE: 4 December 2017, Monday
TIME: 15:00 - 17:30
VENUE: 15/F The Hong Kong Club Building, 3A Chater Road, Hong Kong
After the lecture, Professor Gietel-Basten will launch his new book Why Demography Matters(co-authored with Professor Danny Dorling of the University of Oxford). Light refreshment will be provided.
Rundown
15:00 - 16:30 : Public Lecture "Why Demography Matters for Hong Kong and Beyond"
16:30 - 17:30 : Book Launch "Why Demography Matters"
Abstract
Demographic change is often presented as an endless series of challenges and problems. In Hong Kong, the birth rates are usually described as too low; the population is ageing too quickly; even though there are chronic labour shortages in certain industries, migration remains a very sensitive subject. In this lecture, however, Professor Stuart GIETEL-BASTEN will argue that this negative, reactive view of demographic change is not only unhelpful, but it can paralyse our thinking about the future. Rather seeing these as ‘problems to be fixed’, seeing these demographic concerns as reflections of bigger social, economic and cultural issues allows us to take a more rational view of the present and the future. In turn, this allows us to build a better future for us all. In other words, demography is not destiny.
About the Speaker and Author
Professor Stuart GIETEL-BASTEN
Associate Professor of Social Science and Public Policy
Associate Director of the Leadership and Public Policy Executive Education
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Professor Stuart Gietel-Basten is Associate Director of the Leadership and Public Policy Executive Education Program and Associate Professor of Social Science and Public Policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Prior to joining HKUST in 2017 he was Associate Professor of Social Policy at the University of Oxford. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2008. His research covers the links between population and policy in Asia. In particular, his work explores the emergence of low fertility across the region, and the consequences of this in terms of population ageing. His research has been published in a number of major journals in demography and other social science disciplines. He is also a regular contributor to the South China Morning Postand China Daily.
Associate Director of the Leadership and Public Policy Executive Education
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Free and Open to the Public
Registration begins at 2:30pm