John F. May, a Belgian national, is a Lead Demographer at the World Bank, and a specialist in population policies and programs. Prior to joining the World Bank in 1997, he worked on many population projects around the world for UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP). He was posted in Haiti, West Indies, and New Caledonia, South Pacific for the United Nations. He came to the US in 1987 and was appointed Senior Scientist at The Futures Group International, a consulting firm offering services in population and HIV/AIDS modeling, policy, and program design. In 1991-1992, he spent a year as a Visiting Scholar at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and was a PRB Visiting Scholar again in 2006, 2007, and 2011. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Demography at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He earned a BA in Modern History (1973) and a MA in Demography (1985) from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), and a Doctorate in Demography (1996) from the University of Paris-V (Sorbonne).

• General Introduction.- Chapter 1: World Population Trends and Issues.- Chapter 2: Population Policies Framework.- Chapter 3: First Public Health and Population Program.- Chapter 4: Internationalization of Population Issues.- Chapter 5: Population Policies in Developing Countries.- Chapter 6: Population Policies in Developed Countries.- Chapter 7: Effectiveness of Population Policies.- Chapter 8: Future Prospects for Population Policies.- General Conclusion.- Glossary.- References.- Index.

From the reviews: "The book is a welcome addition to the literature on population policy. ... the author has written an informative survey of a complex, multidimensional topic. ... It is especially useful for those who want a concise overview of diverse population policies in many parts of the world including their origin, evolution, and, to a lesser extent, their impact. ... The author has presented an interesting, helpful, and unified book. It can be read with profit by the layperson, the student, the specialist, and the policymaker." (Andrzej Kulczycki, Population Studies, Vol. 67 (2), 2013) "The book should not, and will not, pass unnoticed, and not just among specialists in the field of population studies proper, but well beyond ... those engaged in geopolitics and international relations. ... John May presents a thorough overview of population policies in developing countries. ... This is a highly readable book. It presents scholarship at its best. The narratives are enhanced by judiciously selected statistical tables. A motto is placed in the heading of each chapter to set the tone for the substantive discussion." (Anatole Romaniuk, Canadian Studies in Population, Vol. 39 (1-2), Spring/Summer, 2012)