Watson Institute for Internation and Public Affairs
Brown International Advanced Research Institutes

BIARI at Brown 2015 - June 6-20

Population and Development: New Approaches to Enduring Global Problems

With the world’s population officially surpassing 7 billion, this institute will address the crucial and interlinked issues of population and development. What are the most significant population issues in the 21st century? How do population dynamics and the policies designed to address them contribute to or detract from equitable development? How can theories and methods in the social sciences contribute to understanding the relationship between population and development, and how can this scholarship contribute to better policies and programs?

Exploring topics such as demographic transition, urbanization, migration, population and environment, HIV/AIDS, the rise of non-communicable diseases in low-income countries, and the underlying relationships between population processes and social and economic development, participants will hear from and interact with some of the world’s leading scholars on these topics. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to develop their own research proposals and projects as they engage with cutting-edge theory, innovative and tested research methods, and first-rate scholarship.

Conveners

BIANCA DAHL

Bianca Dahl is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include humanitarianism and international development, medical anthropology (HIV and AIDS, Social stigma), kinship and childhood, and Botswana.

DANIEL JORDAN SMITH

Daniel J. Smith is Professor and Chair of Anthropology at Brown University and a Faculty Fellow at the Watson Institute. Broadly, Professor Smith's research focuses on understanding the intersection of social change and social reproduction, particularly as it unfolds in population processes and health-related behavior. His work also examines political culture in Nigeria, especially issues related to inequality and development. Much of this work focuses on understanding the intersection of social imagination, politics, and contemporary issues in Nigeria, including democracy, violence, vigilantism, and corruption.