Behind the Numbers: The PRB blog on population, health, and the environment

by Bill Butz, president

I’m enjoying this week immensely. Of approximately 904 scientific papers or panel presentations and 856 poster presentations, I’ve personally experienced only a small number. Of the 2,700 participants from scores of countries, though, I’ve been fortunate to talk with a great many—old friends and new, visitors at our PRB booth, chance encounters in the halls, and yes, the souks. 

Seven PRB staff, three senior fellows, and five members of our Board of Trustees are here in Marrakech: 

PRB staff: Jason Bremner, program director, Population, Health and Environment; Nadwa Mossaad, research associate, Domestic Programs; Nazy Roudi, program director, Middle East and North Africa; Fariyal Fikree, senior program director, Global Health; Mary Kent, senior demographic editor; and Bill Butz, president.

Fellows: Tom Merrick, Elaine Murphy, Charlie Teller. 

Trustees: Wendy Baldwin, The Population Council; Wolfgang Lutz, Vienna Institute of Demography; Joel Cohen, Rockefeller University; Leela Visaria, independent researcher; and Martin Vaessen, ICF Macro. 

This conference is a prime opportunity to stay abreast of the science in our fields and to contribute to it. You’ll be reading—and hearing—some of the results on the PRB website in coming weeks. (And for a fascinating look back at 50 years of IUSSP conferences—how the topics, authors, and regions have changed—see From Vienna to Marrakech: 50 years of Independent IUSSP Conferences, 1959-2009 from the Vienna Institute of Demography).

For several days before the main conference, I participated in a workshop convened by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in collaboration with four European Research Councils: Economic and Social Research Council (UK), Research Council of Norway, Equilibres et Populations (France), and WROTO (Netherlands). Together with African experts, communication specialists, and other funders such as USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we considered how to communicate complex research to African policymakers in the context of an ambitious international program of economic and demographic research just now beginning to produce its first results.  We moved at a fast clip.  The results are a practical blueprint for action as the scientific findings come on line.

These meeting are beautifully organized and the host government and the King have been gracious and generous. Marrakech is lovely and fascinating, and the scientific enterprise regarding population in its many contexts is vibrant.

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