Contributor(s): Stuart Basten, Carlos Cavalle, Wolfgang Lutz, Catherine Hakim, John Parker, Eric Kaufmann | This panel explores the impact of declining fertility in western countries and East Asia - especially the social effects which have largely been ignored. The panel will also launch the publication of a new book, Whither the Child: Causes and Consequences of Low Fertility (Paradigm Publishers 2013). Stuart Basten is ESRC Fellow in Demography and Social Policy at Oxford University. Carlos Cavalle is the Director, Social Trends Institute. Wolfgang Lutz is Professor, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Catherine Hakim is Professor, Centre for Policy Studies. John Parker is the Globalisation Editor, Economist Magazine. Eric Kaufmann is Professor, Birkbeck, University of London.