The Demographic Dividend and the Power of Youth

Voices from the Global Diplomacy Lab

Edited by Eirliani Abdul Rahman, ElsaMarie D'Silva, Sonja Peteranderl

Publication date:

19 February 2021

Publisher

Anthem Press

Dimensions:

229x153mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781785276316

As fertility rates decrease, a country’s working-age population grows larger relative to the young dependent population. With more people in the labor force and fewer children to support, a country has a window of opportunity for rapid economic growth if the right social and economic investments and policies are made in health, education, governance and the economy. Conversely, research shows that resource requirements to support a large population of children and youth can depress the pace of economic growth and prevent needed investments in human capital. The discourse on responding to this population growth frequently excludes the youth. The result can be an apathetic community of young people who withdraw from participation in political and democratic processes.

The book is a compilation of articles that address the issue and highlight solutions from different parts of the world, from members of the Global Diplomacy Lab to external contributors: how they see their work promoting, enhancing and contributing to harvesting the demographic dividend.

List of Illustrations; Foreword by Ambassador HE Dr Michael Schaefer; Notes on Contributors; Introduction by Eirliani Abdul Rahman, ElsaMarie D’Silva and Sonja Peteranderl; Chapter 1 Reaping Morocco’s Demographic Dividend: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa, Lynn Houmdi; Chapter 2 Social Media as a Weapon: How the Youth in Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas Fight Police Violence, Julia Jaroschewski; Chapter 3 Mobilising Human Capital to Harness the Demographic Dividend: The Role of the Diaspora as Actors of Change in the Gambia, Kebba- Omar Jagne; Chapter 4 Engaging Youth to Address Sexual Violence in India, ElsaMarie D’Silva; Chapter 5 Putting the African Girl at the Centre of Demographic Change Programmes, Ekua Yankah; Chapter 6 From Incarceration to Transformation: Ex-Gang Members as Actors of Change in Los Angeles 65, Sonja Peteranderl; Chapter 7 African Continental Youth Policy as a Tool for Harnessing the Demographic Dividend, Patrick Mpedzisi and Annegret Warth; Chapter 8 Digital Mindfulness for Indian Millennials, Rudrani Dasgupta; Chapter 9 Lessons from Africa: What Can a Community of Pastoralists Offer the International Cooperation Community?, Elizabeth Maloba and Stefan Cibian; Chapter 10 Revisiting Democracy: Intersectionality, Youth and the Imperative of ‘Climate Justice’ – Sardinia’s ‘Europe Day’, Colette Mazzucelli, Christian Rossi and Viola Prisca Roggia; Acknowledgements; Index.

Author website; Global Diplomacy Lab - https://global-diplomacy-lab.org/home/