We are used to calling most developing countries overpopulated and consi- dering some industrialized countries (like West Germany) threatened by underpopulation. Analogous population policies with different objecti- ves are discussed. However, none of the measures suggested can be justi- fied or evaluated without an implicit concept of optimum population, a notion which has attracted attention ever since economics was made a science. The relevance of the subject and the recent rise in interest by popula- tion economists has motivated the organization of a conference on Opti- mal Population in...