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Alfred Sauvy (1898-1990)

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Abstract

Alfred Sauvy (1898-1990) - Alfred Sauvy died in October 1990, on the eve of his 92nd birthday. This remarkable man held a pre-eminent position in the development of socio-economic thought and policy in France for more than half a century. Extraordinarily dynamic and productive, he carved out an extremely influential position at the intersection of social science research and policy development. Key factors here were his keen social and economic insights and his capacity to present ideas incisively and attractively to a wide public. Central to all his work was the emphasis put on population as a key factor in societal structures and processes. He is best known for his concern with employment issues and the unfavourable aspects of low fertility, particularly the consequences of population ageing. Although he never held office, Sauvy was passionately involved in public affairs. He was a principal author of the ’Code de la familie’ of 1939, adviser to successive governments, representative of France in the U.N. Population Commission, and founding director of the ’Institut national d’études démographiques’, which he developed into one of the most prestigious demographic research centres in the world. Among his scientific works two occupy a special place : his Théorie génerale de la population (two volumes) and his monumental Histoire économique de la France entre les deux guerres (four volumes). He not only published 40 books and a stream of articles in scientific journals while being editor of Population for 30 years, but also regular contributions to the weekly and daily press (including L’ Express and Le Monde). Few social scientists develop the insights, energy and writing skills Sauvy brought to bear : few have managed, therefore, to be so influential.

How to Cite:

Page, H., (1991) “Alfred Sauvy (1898-1990)”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 36(3), 278–283. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.95081