Welcome to The Demographer

Many of you, my well-read friends, may be familiar with The Economist, the UK-based news magazine which covers a broad range of topics from economics and finance to politics and science. It is easily read by any with an open mind, whether or not you are interested in their political analysis or their famed 'Big Mac' index, which can often be found on the back page.

Why bring up The Economist when the title of this blog is The Demographer? For a start, I've always believed that what truly makes The Economist interesting isn't the subject matter, but the way it addresses the various topics. I believe the title of the magazine conveys its perspective in its analysis, as it attempts to maintain a voice of reason and rationality. Because of this, it is hard to place The Economist's political base. The paper has at times supported Thatcherite conservatives, and yet endorsed Senator Kerry in the last presidential election. Its own self-assessment may shed some light:

"It is to the Radicals that The Economist still likes to think of itself as belonging. The extreme centre is the paper's historical position."

I digress from an introduction to my own blog. My reason for titling it as such isn't just to convey its intended topic: the study of population in the world today. I want to convey the same sense of perspective that The Economist does. Not only will you read posts and articles on this site about demography, but you will also read every day articles looked at from the intended perspective of someone interested in demography. I might also note that the title is not my own; I am nothing but a soon to be graduate student in economics who likes to apply his abilities to the study of people's most basic human choices and constraints.

Enough with this introduction, I'll go ahead and post the first article I stumbled across recently. Enjoy.