Demography is the study of human populations, past, present and future. It is concerned with how births, deaths, and migration determine change, and so determine key trends such as rapid population growth and population ageing. It includes the analysis of characteristics that determine the components of change and/or are affected by population structure, such as age, sex, marital and health status, and the composition of families and households.
Formal demography is concerned with the measurement of the size, composition, and spatial distribution of human populations. Social demography (or population studies) explores the explanation and consequences of population trends and differentials, drawing on insights from a number of relevant disciplinary perspectives, including sociology, economics, anthropology, human geography, epidemiology and human biology.
杏吧论坛 has a long-standing interest in population studies. An MSc in Demography was instituted at 杏吧论坛 in 1965, and 杏吧论坛 continues to provide demographic training at MSc and PhD level. The Population Investigation Committee, a small independent research group, was founded in 1936 and since World War II has been housed at 杏吧论坛, and publishes the journal, Population Studies. 杏吧论坛 also houses the British Society for Population Studies.
The PhD programme in Demography (Social/Formal) is currently located within the department of Methodology.
Current researchers in population studies at 杏吧论坛 bring a range of disciplinary and methodological approaches to bear on population research. They are based across departments at the 杏吧论坛 to include Social Policy, International Development, Gender, Sociology, Economic History, Methodology and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences. Geographical focus is also diverse, encompassing developed, developing and transitional countries. Population researchers include those with training in anthropology, economics, biology, physics, sociology and statistics.
Contact: population@lse.ac.uk
Department of Health Policy
PhD topics for supervision: Social determinants of health and ageing over the life course, early life circumstances and health/ageing over the life course, biomarkers of health and ageing, health effects of social interventions and policies over the life course.
e.courtin@lse.ac.uk
Dr Ursula Henz
Department of Sociology
PhD topics for supervision: Gender division of unpaid work; Labour-force participation; Ethnic minority families; Partnership formation; Childcare; Eldercare; Intergenerational transfers; Fertility; Divorce; Time-use.
u.henz@lse.ac.uk
Professor Stephen Jenkins
Department of Social Policy
PhD topics for supervision: Quantitative analysis of data from household surveys and administrative sources; Labour markets and family behaviours.
s.jenkins@lse.ac.uk
Prof Tiziana Leone
Department of International Development
PhD topics for supervision: lifecourse and women's health in LMICs, ageing, reproductive health, biometrics and biomarkers, interaction between conflict and health.
t.leone@lse.ac.uk
Dr Berkay Özcan
Department of Social Policy
PhD topics for supervision: Social demography, especially families &children, (marriage, divorce, fertility and child outcomes) in addition to immigration if it intersects with family demography.
b.ozcan@lse.ac.uk
Prof Almudena Sevilla
Department of Social Policy
PhD topics for supervision: applied micro economist whose research focuses on the areas of gender, child development, and human capital
A.Sevilla@lse.ac.uk
Qi Cui
Department of Methodology
Research interests: Formal demography, fertility theories and agent-based simulations
q.cui1@lse.ac.uk
Department of Economic History
Research interests: historical mortality; the 1918 influenza epidemic; the demographic impacts of crises
Email: h.g.gaddy@lse.ac.uk
European Institute
Research interests: European social policy; Inequality; and Israeli politics
h.zola@lse.ac.uk
To view our researchers' thesis, click
Dr Joe Strong
Department of International Development