@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp16987, author={Hartog, Joop}, title={The Dire Consequences of Untamed Population Growth in the Netherlands}, year={2024}, month={May}, institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)}, address={Bonn}, type={IZA Discussion Paper}, number={16987}, url={https://www.iza.org/publications/dp16987}, abstract={In the postwar period, when fertility dropped substantially, immigration more than made up for the drop in population growth, and from 1950 to 2020, population increased by 73%, double the European rate, in a country with population density already among the highest in Europe. Yet, there never has been a serious population policy, and in fact, central spatial planning has been abandoned. In regard to effects on population size, it seems like immigration policies were set by a sorcerer's apprentice who only half mastered his art: he could set forces in motion, but controlling them afterwards was beyond his skills. As a result, Dutch policy making touching on alternative uses of land, has now reached a stalemate. We discuss some options for a way out.}, keywords={population size;population density;immigration;immigration policies;spatial planning}, }