Shrinking states: a positive future with fewer people? – podcast | Science

The fertility rate in England and Wales fell for the third consecutive year – a trend reflected around the world, with two thirds of the world’s population who now live in countries with fertility at the level of the re -evolution. In the second episode of a two -part series, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dean Spears, deputy professor of economics at the University of Texas in Austin, and Dr. Jennifer Sciubba, director general of the population’s reference office, to wonder if the drop in birth rate is really something to fear – and how companies can adapt to a future with fewer children.