Economic History: Population and Living Standards

Population and Living Standards explores how demographic shifts – such as fertility, mortality, marriage and migration – interact with economic conditions over time. You’ll study how these relationships have shaped both developed and developing countries, using theory and empirical research.

The course begins with a broad overview of the population debate over the past 50 years, tracing its intellectual roots and key ideas. You’ll examine how population growth affects economic, social and environmental development – and how living standards influence demographic behaviour.

You’ll also explore how living standards vary across social groups, and how short-term economic fluctuations impact population dynamics. In the second part of the course, you’ll learn how to use data and econometric methods to study these complex relationships.

Whether you’re interested in development, history, or policy, this course gives you the tools to understand how people and economies shape each other.

Teaching includes lectures and group exercises. You’ll work with demographic and economic data, apply theoretical models and present your findings in seminars.

Assessment is based on written assignments, presentations and participation in mandatory activities. 

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to identify key mechanisms linking population and living standards, critically evaluate theories and conduct your own analysis using empirical data.

This is a course for those who want to understand the deeper connections between demographic change and economic development. You’ll learn to think clearly about how societies evolve – and how living conditions reflect and shape that evolution.

Prerequisites

At least 60 credit points in either economic history, economics, history, economic and social geography, sociology or the equivalent knowledge. (Students accepted for the following master’s programmes are qualified for this course: EAETU Economic Growth, Population, and Development, EAEUT Economic Growth and Development, EAISD Innovation and Spatial Dynamics, and EAGCH International Economics with a Focus on China)

Selection criteria

Seats are allocated according to: ECTS (HPAV): 100 %.

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

• The European Union (EU)
• The European Economic Area (EEA) and
• Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 18,750
First payment: SEK 18,750

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Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.