„Political Demography“ – blinder Fleck der deutschen Politikwissenschaft? Eine einführende Literaturübersicht

From a global perspective, the effects of demographic change are obvious. The developments triggered by increasing life expectancy and falling birth rates are one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century and should be perceived as such. Demographic changes are fundamentally triggered by three main factors: mortality, fertility, and migration. All these factors have had a significant impact on societies over the last century. Germany, as an aging country, is no exception. Over the last twenty years, an active field of research has developed that examines the interactions between demographic and political factors and is presented in this literature review: the field of political demography. Despite a large number of publications, there is a lack of networks and exchange outside of migration research, although rapidly advancing demographic change is one of the most predictable future developments. Despite their great influence and the increasingly evident effects of demographic change, demographic factors are still too seldomly included in analyses within German political science, and exchanges with population science are rare. We therefore advocate greater inclusion of demographic processes—both in research and in political science training and teaching.