The XXVII European Society for Rural Sociology Congress

Convenors:

Neil Argent, University of New England, Australia

David L. Brown, Cornell University, USA

Dudley Poston, Texas A&M University, USA

Contact: David L. Brown: dlb17@cornell.edu

Topic:

The objective of the Woking Group is to examine the interrelationships between population change and local community well-being. A second objective is to examine the relationships between population change and changes in the natural environment.

This working group will examine the social and environmental determinants and consequences of rural population change. The main focus will be on how changes in population size, structure, socio-demographic composition, and spatial distribution affect and are affected by community well-being as indicated by such factors as inequality, poverty, un- and underemployment, economic restructuring, etc. We also encourage scholars to submit papers focusing on population-environment interrelationships, including changes in resource-based industries such as mining as well as climate change.  Since we are interested in examining the interrelationships between population change and community, we propose to examine how community well-being and environmental change affects population dynamics, and vice versa. We are hoping that scholars from a wide range of nations will participate so that we can examine how population-society relationships might be affected by the regions and nations in which they occur. We welcome theoretical, empirical and/or methodological papers.

Format:

The format will be standard paper sessions with discussants. Papers will have to be submitted at least two weeks prior to the conference so that the discussant has ample time to prepare helpful remarks. We may also organize a panel discussion of the impacts of population change, environmental change and rural society and economy.