THE DEMOGRAPHIC BEHAVIOUR OF SMALL TOWNS IN ROMANIA IN THE POST-COMMUNIST PERIOD ANALYZED THROUGH THE DYNAMICS OF THE POPULATION. CASE STUDY: THE SMALL TOWNS IN THE BIHOR COUNTY, ROMANIA

• Main Authors: Marcu STASAC, Claudiu FILIMON, Rodica PETREA, Angela BULZAN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Editura Universitatii din Oradea 2016-11-01
• Series: Analele Universităţii din Oradea: Seria Geografie
• Subjects: small towns; post-comunist period; dynamics of the population; demographic decline
• Online Access: http://geografie-uoradea.ro/Reviste/Anale/Art/2016-2/11.AUOG_722_Stasac.pdf

The political, economic and social changes that Romania faced after December 1989 have strongly influenced the evolution of the demographic phenomena. The decrease of the birth rate, the increase of the death rate and a pronounced negative external migration, have led to important changes in the demographic structure of the towns. Despite the fact that these changes are characteristic to all towns, the demographic decline registers the most significant values in the case of small towns, particularly the mono-industrial ones set up during the communist time in Romania, with severe economic and social consequences. In this context, the necessity of working out a strategy in the field of population from the perspective of the long-lasting development of the small towns proves to be compulsory. Without such a strategy, the imbalances shall deepen, whereas the demographic aging shalltrigger a stronger and stronger pressure upon the active population, having negative effects upon the social systems. The purpose of the study is to outlining the dimension of the demographic decline and of the demographic hazards with severe negative consequences, both economic and social, for the small towns.