The One-Child Policy: China’s Coming Baby Boom or Economic Bust?
VIEW EVENT DETAILSChina’s colossal population has often mystified Western observers. For more than 30 years the one child policy was Beijing’s answer to unsustainable population growth. Many observers accused the policy of being an unnecessary draconian force that destroyed families and dreams. Now, China is facing an aging population and all the associated economic challenges. Furthermore, ending the one child policy has not yet had the birthrate boosting effect that policymakers in Beijing hoped. Dr. Dudley L. Poston has an insider’s view on the evolution of the policy as he personally trained demographers from China who now hold leadership positions in universities and government. Join Asia Society as he explores the history and future of China’s demographic trends and the effects of the one child policy.
This program is in conjunction with the exhibition We Chat: A Dialogue in Contemporary Chinese Art. Ticket holders receive complimentary admission to the program prior to the start of the program.
Related
Interview: Dr. Dudley Poston on China's One-Child Policy
Dr. Dudley L. Poston, Professor of Sociology and George T. and Gladys H. Abell Professor of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University
Dr. Dudley L. Poston, Jr. is a Professor of Sociology, and the George T. and Gladys H. Abell Professor of Liberal Arts, at Texas A&M University. He also holds the positions of Adjunct Professor of Demography at People’s University, Beijing, China; Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China; and Adjunct Professor of Demography at Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
He previously served on the Rural Sociology and Sociology faculties, respectively, of Cornell University (1988-1992), and The University of Texas at Austin (1970-1988), where he was also affiliated with the Population Research Center (University of Texas) and the Population and Development Program and the East Asia Studies Program (Cornell University). He was Director of the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin from 1981 to 1986. His research interests include demography and human ecology, with special attention to the populations of China, Taiwan, and Korea. During his more than four decades as a professor, he has been the recipient of many academic rewards, has been the principal/co-principal investigator of many research grants, and has co-authored/edited seventeen books.
He graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1963 with a B.A. degree in sociology, from San Francisco State College in 1967 with an M.A. degree in sociology, and from the University of Oregon (in Eugene, Oregon) in 1968 with a Ph.D. degree in sociology and demography. He served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant and as a Captain from 1968 to 1970, including a tour of nearly one full year in 1969-70 in South Vietnam. Among his military honors and awards are the Bronze Star Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal (with one Oak Leaf cluster), both awarded to him in 1970 for his military service in Vietnam.
Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and United Airlines are presenting sponsors of Business & Policy programs, with lead support from BP America, and East West Bank. Generous funding also provided by the Friends of Business & Policy at Asia Society Texas Center, a premier group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing the best in public programming.
Presenting Sponsors
Program Sponsors