Population Council Research that makes a difference

From the start: Innovative research that guides policies
and programs

In 1952, the world was awakening to the rapid growth in population that was occurring around the globe. Impressed by the complexities of population issues, convinced of their fundamental significance for human well-being, and undeterred by the sensitivity then associated with birth control, John D. Rockefeller 3rd convened a group of scientists to discuss the implications of the dramatic demographic change. They met in Williamsburg, Virginia, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, and after two and a half days agreed on the need for a new institution that could provide solid science to guide governments and individuals in addressing population questions.

According to Rockefeller, the reason to care about population was "to improve the quality of people's lives, to help make it possible for individuals everywhere to develop their full potential." That vision has motivated the Council throughout its 59-year history, even though the circumstances facing the world have changed substantially.

A focus on building local capacity

Recognizing the diversity of social and cultural views related to population issues in different countries, the Population Council did not itself espouse any form of population policy. Instead, through grants to individuals and institutions, it invested in strengthening the indigenous capacity of countries and regions to conduct population research and to develop their own policies. The Council also funded seminal work in U.S. universities and further developed its own in-house research expertise in biomedicine, public health, and social science.

As the number of requests for advice from developing country leaders grew, the Population Council realized that evidence-based technical assistance should be added to research and capacity building as a mechanism for achieving its mission. In the 1960s, the Council played a key role in documenting the large numbers of people in poor countries who lacked access to contraceptives and in conducting research to design and evaluate public family planning programs. At the same time, the Council's biomedical researchers worked to develop new contraceptive methods, such as the intrauterine device.

In the 1970s, the Council broadened its areas of inquiry beyond the early primary focus on family planning to a fuller understanding of the social and economic context in which demographic phenomena occur. Other notable events were the establishment of an international network to enhance the development of new contraceptive methods and a significantly increased international representation on the board of trustees. In the early 1980s, the Council pioneered the application of systematic research techniques to improve family planning service delivery, launched efforts to raise the quality of care in these programs, and increasingly emphasized taking a broad view of reproductive health. The last initiative had considerable influence at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.

Over the last decade or so, emerging and intensifying population issues—the largest-ever generation of adolescents and the AIDS epidemic, to name just two—have been added to the Population Council's longstanding work in demography, contraceptive development, and improving access to high-quality reproductive health services around the world. Newer endeavors build on the Council's diverse and deep scientific expertise and decades-long, practical, on-the-ground experience in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

A commitment to high quality, objectivity, and policy relevance

In all of its endeavors, the Population Council has aspired to the highest professional and ethical standards and has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence and integrity. Policymakers, program managers, and others concerned with population issues turn to the Population Council for rigorous research results—results that help improve people's lives.