Population decline, political economy, and emergency management—qualitative descriptive research

This study proposes that the political economy approach to population decline, which focuses solely on its negative aspects, has a narrower scope than an emergency management-based approach, which considers both negative and positive dimensions. The primary goal is to investigate the global phenomenon of population decline and its complex implications for effective emergency management. A research question is “How has (or will) the issue of population decline continue to evolve?” This research employs a qualitative descriptive methodology, supported by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 checklist and flow diagram. The study compares political economy-based and emergency management-based approaches to population decline in the contexts of international organizations, low-income nations, and high-income nations. A key finding suggests that stakeholders should shift their focus from a political economy-based approach to an emergency management-based framework population when addressing issues related to economic growth, ecosystems, the emergency management cycle, shared concerns, and lifelong learning. This study expands on previous research by providing a broader and deeper perspective on emergency management’s role in addressing population decline.