Policy vs. the Imagination: Why Government Cannot Engineer a Baby Boom?

Date: 24 February 2026, 18:00 

Location: Corvinus University of Budapest, Gellért Campus, Auditorium „A” 

Language of the event: English 

This event is public, but registration is required.  

As nations across the globe scramble to reverse collapsing birth rates, this talk examines why policy interventions are unlikely to reverse the trend. Dr. Barrows argues that sub-replacement fertility is rooted in a cultural shift that has embraced a false narrative—too often viewing another child as a burden or impediment rather than a gift and source of meaning. Reversing demographic decline is not to be found in policy but rather in re-imagining children as the supreme manifestation of the common good. 

Dr. Stephen Barrows 

Dr. Stephen Barrows is the Chief Operating Officer and a researcher at the Acton Institute, where his work focuses on the intersection of culture, demography, political economy, and social flourishing. His research explores the moral and cultural foundations of economic life, with particular attention to family formation, fertility decline, and the limits of state-centered solutions to social problems.