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20 May 2011
Unit:
LEI
 Many European regions face demographic decline, which leads to a variety of social, economic and financial problems. In the Netherlands such problems have come to the fore only recently, but there are now several regions where population decline is evident and policies to deal with the attendant problems are being debated. Generally speaking, population decline tends to occur more in rural areas than urban ones, although the latter are by no means immune. An increasing number of regions will face such problems in the years to come.
Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation has invited LEI to carry out a study on the role of agriculture and tourism in regions experiencing population decline. The thinking is that a smaller population may provide opportunities to these two sectors because of lower pressure on land. On the other hand, the availability of labour may be lower. Whether the balance is positive or negative, and what consequences this has for policies is the question that needs to be investigated.
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