Mathias Lerch
Biographic Data
| ID | 123235 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mathias Lerch |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mathias |
| FAMILY NAME | Lerch |
| SIGNATURE | LERCH M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4861-5058 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 124 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Functional Urban Areas – Application of the concept on traditional longitudinal data for intra- and inter-city analysis
As the world becomes more urbanized, a deeper understanding of cities is increasingly valuable for achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11). Official statistics contain important information for monitoring the social and economic sustainability of cities, but they do not follow a consistent definition of cities around the world. The United Nations has endorsed the use of Functional Urban Areas (FUA), defined based on…
Unpacking the Differential Impact of Development on Internal Migration Across Educational Groups of Population and the Urban Hierarchy
This study examines how internal migration responds to development drivers across educational groups in cities of the Global South. While internal migration redistributes human capital, city‐level evidence remains limited. To better understand the urban gradients of migration by education over the human development process, we exploit census data that we aggregate to city populations, enabling a sub‐national examination of urban out‐migration acr…
The Spatial Diffusion of Internal Migration Across the Rural-Urban Continuum in Developing Countries
Urbanization constitutes the most important transformation in the population geography of developing countries but evidence on the underlying spatial patterns of internal migration is limited. We investigate in an internationally comparative perspective whether out-migration diffuses over the course of urbanization from larger and denser populated settlements to smaller and sparser ones, and whether migrants head to increasingly smaller urban des…
Human development and city out-migration: Subnational perspectives on the mobility transition
While the influence of human development on international migration has been widely examined, its implications for internal migration at the subnational scale, particularly in cities, remain largely unexplored. This paper investigates whether internal out-migration from cities initially increases and then decreases over the development process. The study adopts a broad definition of development by incorporating key dimensions such as health, educ…
The Diffusion of International Migration in Cities and Rural Areas of Developing Countries
Emigration concerns a growing number of developing countries, which have experienced a fast pace of urbanization since 1960. Yet we lack evidence about the interlinkages between the two phenomena. Should governments expect large-scale emigration, as ongoing urbanization increases people's aspirations and capabilities to move? We analyze rates of emigration (i.e., movements crossing national borders) from different tiers of the urban hierarchy obs…
Rising International Migration of the Highly Skilled Transforms Demographic and Geographic Patterns of Flows in High‐Income Countries: The Case of Switzerland 1966–2019
Demographic and economic consequences of international migration in high‐income countries depend on the patterns of flows, which have changed profoundly since WWII. We investigate how the increase in highly skilled migrants shaped the geography of flows, the age, sex and family composition and the international mobility of immigrants in Switzerland between 1966 and 2019. The large‐scale circulation of predominantly male migrants from neighbouring…
The Impact of Migration on Age Structure Conducive to Human Development Across the Urban Hierarchy
A larger working-age population supports economic and social development, and many developing countries are currently benefiting from this demographic window. However, internal migration-often age-selective-can create subnational inequalities by redistributing working-age individuals from less developed areas to cities in search of employment and upward social mobility. While many studies have explored the age selectivity of migration, few have e…
Internal Migration Over the Course of Urbanization in Developing Countries
Our understanding of the patterns of internal migration that underlie the fast urbanization in developing countries is mainly based on theory and country case studies. We test the hypothesis of a mobility transition from a comparative perspective by analyzing the evolution of different types of internal migration across the settlement hierarchy over the course of urbanization. We rely on repeated population censuses from 41 developing countries, …
Societal Upheaval and the Contraceptive Transition
Human development and family planning programs since the 1970s have led to a fast-rising prevalence of modern contraceptive means at the global level. However, countries with rising but still low levels of contraceptive use experienced an increasing number of societal upheavals, including armed conflicts, sudden and high-intensity natural disasters, as well as dramatic effects of health epidemics. This may challenge the continued diffusion of mod…
Housing, street and health: A new systemic research framework
As the world’s population grows in cities, urban dwellers spend a large amount of time inside their home, making housing health ever more important. Critical for residents’ health, the interactions between indoor residential environments and outdoor environmental conditions (e.g. air pollution, noise, heat) are mediated by the controversial and evolving relationship between housing and the street. Currently, there is a lack of ways to integrate a…
Different health systems – Different mortality outcomes? Regional disparities in avoidable mortality across German-speaking Europe, 1992–2019
The end of urban sprawl? Internal migration across the rural‐urban continuum in Switzerland, 1966−2018
In high-income countries, migration redistributed populations from congested city centres into the sparsely populated outskirts, raising challenges to environmental and population health and the conservation of biodiversity. We evaluate whether this periurbanisation process came to a halt in Switzerland by expecting a decline in internal migration and a renewed residential attractiveness of urban agglomeration centres (i.e., re-urbanisation)-two …
Migrations internationales et croissance de la ville de Zurich entre 1836 et 1949
Le rôle joué par les migrations internationales et leurs interactions avec d'autres composantes démographiques dans le processus de croissance urbaine demeure sous-estimé. Cet article évalue les tendances de l'accroissement naturel et des migrations nettes internes et internationales à Zurich pendant la révolution industrielle, en s'appuyant sur des statistiques historiques ventilées par nationalité et des techniques d'estimations démographiques …
International Migration and City Growth in the Global South: An Analysis of Ipums Data for Seven Countries, 1992-2013
Evidence on the demographic components of city growth in the global South is scarce, and the role played by international migration is neglected. We analyze the importance of recent international migration in cities, compare it with that of internal movements, and evaluate the growth contribution across national contexts and the urban hierarchy. Combining individual-level census data and geographic master files of metropolitan areas with indirect…
The emergence of birth limitation as a new stage in the fertility transition in sub-Saharan Africa
The fertility transition started later in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions of the world. Moreover, the average number of children per woman declined more slowly there, owing to a distinct mechanism of fertility reduction. It has been argued that th
Fertility Decline in Urban and Rural Areas of Developing Countries
Fertility and union formation during crisis and societal consolidation in the Western Balkans
Fertility decline in central and eastern Europe (CEE) since the fall of the communist regimes has been driven by both stopping and postponement of childbearing: two processes that have been related to crisis and economic development, respectively. In the Western Balkans these economic and political contexts followed each other in the form of a biphasic transition. I examine whether this sequence triggered fertility responses like those observed e…
Périurbanisation et transformation du gradient de la mortalité urbaine en Suisse
Alors que les différences régionales d'espérance de vie se sont estompées en Suisse, quels sont les effets de la périurbanisation sur la géographie de la mortalité ? À partir des données de l'état civil et des recensements, on observe un accroissement des différentiels intra-urbains de mortalité depuis 1980, en particulier dans les villes les plus grandes ou qui se sont récemment étendues. Un gradient non linéaire émerge : l'espérance de vie est …
Internal and International Migration Across the Urban Hierarchy in Albania
The interactions between the processes of urbanization and international migration in less developed and transition countries have important repercussions for socioeconomic development, but are not well understood. Based on the retrospective data from the Albanian Living Standards Measurement Survey 2008, we first assess the geography of migration in terms of the rural-urban continuum, the urban hierarchy and the outside world since 1990. We then…
Does indirect exposure to international migration influence marriage and fertility in Albania
The Role of Migration in the Urban Transition: A Demonstration From Albania
Although natural increase has been recognized as the main driver of postwar urban growth in developing countries, urban transition theory predicts a dominant role for population mobility in the early and late phases of the process. To account for this discrepancy between theory and empirical evidence, I demonstrate the complex role played by internal and international migration in the pattern of urban growth. Using a combination of indirect demog…
Fertility Decline During Albania’s Societal Crisis and its Subsequent Consolidation: Déclin de la fécondité albanaise durant la crise et le redressement économique et politique
Patriarchy and fertility in Albania
Theories of fertility collapse in the post-socialist era imply a decline in the moral primacy of traditional social institutions. Yet gender inequality actually increased in many countries, and there is a scarcity of empirical evidence for the role played
Religious Affiliation and Mortality in Switzerland, 1991-2004
As in other European countries, the religious landscape of Switzerland has diversified over the last forty years, with a movement away from the traditional institutions and a rapid expansion of minority religions. Taking advantage of the Swiss statistical system, which records residents? religion in the census and in vital records, the mortality differentials over the period 1991-2004 are analysed according to self-reported religious affiliation.…
Affiliation religieuse et mortalité en Suisse entre 1991 et 2004
Comme d'autres pays européens, la Suisse a connu une diversification de son paysage religieux durant les quarante dernières années, avec un mouvement de retrait à l'égard des institutions traditionnelles et l'essor de religions jadis minoritaires. Tirant avantage du système statistique helvétique qui enregistre la religion de ses résidents lors du recensement et dans l'état civil, les différentiels de mortalité durant la période 1991-2004 sont an…
Fertility Decline in Urban and Rural Areas of Developing Countries
Naturalisation and Socio-Economic Characteristics of Youth of Immigrant Descent in Switzerland
Many studies on the generational social mobility of immigrant populations have taken into account the socio-economic characteristics of the immigrant groups on the one hand, and the historical and economic conditions of the receiving society, including the legal framework, on the other. However, little attention has so far been paid to the juridical status of immigrant groups. This paper explores the variation in education and employment performa…
International Migration and City Growth in the Global South: An Analysis of Ipums Data for Seven Countries, 1992-2013
Evidence on the demographic components of city growth in the global South is scarce, and the role played by international migration is neglected. We analyze the importance of recent international migration in cities, compare it with that of internal movements, and evaluate the growth contribution across national contexts and the urban hierarchy. Combining individual-level census data and geographic master files of metropolitan areas with indirect…
The Role of Migration in the Urban Transition: A Demonstration From Albania
Although natural increase has been recognized as the main driver of postwar urban growth in developing countries, urban transition theory predicts a dominant role for population mobility in the early and late phases of the process. To account for this discrepancy between theory and empirical evidence, I demonstrate the complex role played by internal and international migration in the pattern of urban growth. Using a combination of indirect demog…
Fertility Decline During Albania’s Societal Crisis and its Subsequent Consolidation: Déclin de la fécondité albanaise durant la crise et le redressement économique et politique
Internal and International Migration Across the Urban Hierarchy in Albania
The interactions between the processes of urbanization and international migration in less developed and transition countries have important repercussions for socioeconomic development, but are not well understood. Based on the retrospective data from the Albanian Living Standards Measurement Survey 2008, we first assess the geography of migration in terms of the rural-urban continuum, the urban hierarchy and the outside world since 1990. We then…
Patriarchy and fertility in Albania
Theories of fertility collapse in the post-socialist era imply a decline in the moral primacy of traditional social institutions. Yet gender inequality actually increased in many countries, and there is a scarcity of empirical evidence for the role played
Internal Migration Over the Course of Urbanization in Developing Countries
Our understanding of the patterns of internal migration that underlie the fast urbanization in developing countries is mainly based on theory and country case studies. We test the hypothesis of a mobility transition from a comparative perspective by analyzing the evolution of different types of internal migration across the settlement hierarchy over the course of urbanization. We rely on repeated population censuses from 41 developing countries, …
Migrations internationales et croissance de la ville de Zurich entre 1836 et 1949
Le rôle joué par les migrations internationales et leurs interactions avec d'autres composantes démographiques dans le processus de croissance urbaine demeure sous-estimé. Cet article évalue les tendances de l'accroissement naturel et des migrations nettes internes et internationales à Zurich pendant la révolution industrielle, en s'appuyant sur des statistiques historiques ventilées par nationalité et des techniques d'estimations démographiques …
Fertility and union formation during crisis and societal consolidation in the Western Balkans
Fertility decline in central and eastern Europe (CEE) since the fall of the communist regimes has been driven by both stopping and postponement of childbearing: two processes that have been related to crisis and economic development, respectively. In the Western Balkans these economic and political contexts followed each other in the form of a biphasic transition. I examine whether this sequence triggered fertility responses like those observed e…
Different health systems – Different mortality outcomes? Regional disparities in avoidable mortality across German-speaking Europe, 1992–2019
Périurbanisation et transformation du gradient de la mortalité urbaine en Suisse
Alors que les différences régionales d'espérance de vie se sont estompées en Suisse, quels sont les effets de la périurbanisation sur la géographie de la mortalité ? À partir des données de l'état civil et des recensements, on observe un accroissement des différentiels intra-urbains de mortalité depuis 1980, en particulier dans les villes les plus grandes ou qui se sont récemment étendues. Un gradient non linéaire émerge : l'espérance de vie est …
Does indirect exposure to international migration influence marriage and fertility in Albania
The end of urban sprawl? Internal migration across the rural‐urban continuum in Switzerland, 1966−2018
In high-income countries, migration redistributed populations from congested city centres into the sparsely populated outskirts, raising challenges to environmental and population health and the conservation of biodiversity. We evaluate whether this periurbanisation process came to a halt in Switzerland by expecting a decline in internal migration and a renewed residential attractiveness of urban agglomeration centres (i.e., re-urbanisation)-two …
Religious Affiliation and Mortality in Switzerland, 1991-2004
As in other European countries, the religious landscape of Switzerland has diversified over the last forty years, with a movement away from the traditional institutions and a rapid expansion of minority religions. Taking advantage of the Swiss statistical system, which records residents? religion in the census and in vital records, the mortality differentials over the period 1991-2004 are analysed according to self-reported religious affiliation.…
The Start of the Sexual Transition in Mali: Risks and Opportunities
Analysis of data from a questionnaire survey of 2,000 young Malians undertaken by the authors in 2002 demonstrates that, even in underprivileged urban and rural populations, changes in sexual behavior are emerging. Among women, first sex and motherhood are taking place slightly later, and a minority is now dissociating sexuality and procreation. Our data confirm the considerable impact of female education on this transition. Girls’ sexual activit…
The Diffusion of International Migration in Cities and Rural Areas of Developing Countries
Emigration concerns a growing number of developing countries, which have experienced a fast pace of urbanization since 1960. Yet we lack evidence about the interlinkages between the two phenomena. Should governments expect large-scale emigration, as ongoing urbanization increases people's aspirations and capabilities to move? We analyze rates of emigration (i.e., movements crossing national borders) from different tiers of the urban hierarchy obs…
Societal Upheaval and the Contraceptive Transition
Human development and family planning programs since the 1970s have led to a fast-rising prevalence of modern contraceptive means at the global level. However, countries with rising but still low levels of contraceptive use experienced an increasing number of societal upheavals, including armed conflicts, sudden and high-intensity natural disasters, as well as dramatic effects of health epidemics. This may challenge the continued diffusion of mod…
Housing, street and health: A new systemic research framework
As the world’s population grows in cities, urban dwellers spend a large amount of time inside their home, making housing health ever more important. Critical for residents’ health, the interactions between indoor residential environments and outdoor environmental conditions (e.g. air pollution, noise, heat) are mediated by the controversial and evolving relationship between housing and the street. Currently, there is a lack of ways to integrate a…
The emergence of birth limitation as a new stage in the fertility transition in sub-Saharan Africa
The fertility transition started later in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions of the world. Moreover, the average number of children per woman declined more slowly there, owing to a distinct mechanism of fertility reduction. It has been argued that th
Affiliation religieuse et mortalité en Suisse entre 1991 et 2004
Comme d'autres pays européens, la Suisse a connu une diversification de son paysage religieux durant les quarante dernières années, avec un mouvement de retrait à l'égard des institutions traditionnelles et l'essor de religions jadis minoritaires. Tirant avantage du système statistique helvétique qui enregistre la religion de ses résidents lors du recensement et dans l'état civil, les différentiels de mortalité durant la période 1991-2004 sont an…
Unemployment and discrimination against youth of immigrant origin in Switzerland: When the name makes the difference
Naturalisation and Socio-Economic Characteristics of Youth of Immigrant Descent in Switzerland
Many studies on the generational social mobility of immigrant populations have taken into account the socio-economic characteristics of the immigrant groups on the one hand, and the historical and economic conditions of the receiving society, including the legal framework, on the other. However, little attention has so far been paid to the juridical status of immigrant groups. This paper explores the variation in education and employment performa…
The Start of the Sexual Transition in Mali: Risks and Opportunities
Analysis of data from a questionnaire survey of 2,000 young Malians undertaken by the authors in 2002 demonstrates that, even in underprivileged urban and rural populations, changes in sexual behavior are emerging. Among women, first sex and motherhood are taking place slightly later, and a minority is now dissociating sexuality and procreation. Our data confirm the considerable impact of female education on this transition. Girls’ sexual activit…
The impact of migration on fertility in post‐communist Albania
This article investigates the demographic effects of migration in Albania with particular emphasis on fertility. Combinations of demographic responses to the political and economic transition process are explored and impacts of migration on individual fertility patterns analysed. Estimates from the 1989 and 2001 censuses suggest a complementary relationship between international emigration of young adults and relative fertility decline in distric…
Religious Affiliation and Mortality in Switzerland, 1991-2004
As in other European countries, the religious landscape of Switzerland has diversified over the last forty years, with a movement away from the traditional institutions and a rapid expansion of minority religions. Taking advantage of the Swiss statistical system, which records residents? religion in the census and in vital records, the mortality differentials over the period 1991-2004 are analysed according to self-reported religious affiliation.…
Affiliation religieuse et mortalité en Suisse entre 1991 et 2004
Comme d'autres pays européens, la Suisse a connu une diversification de son paysage religieux durant les quarante dernières années, avec un mouvement de retrait à l'égard des institutions traditionnelles et l'essor de religions jadis minoritaires. Tirant avantage du système statistique helvétique qui enregistre la religion de ses résidents lors du recensement et dans l'état civil, les différentiels de mortalité durant la période 1991-2004 sont an…
Fertility Decline During Albania’s Societal Crisis and its Subsequent Consolidation: Déclin de la fécondité albanaise durant la crise et le redressement économique et politique
Patriarchy and fertility in Albania
Theories of fertility collapse in the post-socialist era imply a decline in the moral primacy of traditional social institutions. Yet gender inequality actually increased in many countries, and there is a scarcity of empirical evidence for the role played
The Role of Migration in the Urban Transition: A Demonstration From Albania
Although natural increase has been recognized as the main driver of postwar urban growth in developing countries, urban transition theory predicts a dominant role for population mobility in the early and late phases of the process. To account for this discrepancy between theory and empirical evidence, I demonstrate the complex role played by internal and international migration in the pattern of urban growth. Using a combination of indirect demog…
Does indirect exposure to international migration influence marriage and fertility in Albania
Internal and International Migration Across the Urban Hierarchy in Albania
The interactions between the processes of urbanization and international migration in less developed and transition countries have important repercussions for socioeconomic development, but are not well understood. Based on the retrospective data from the Albanian Living Standards Measurement Survey 2008, we first assess the geography of migration in terms of the rural-urban continuum, the urban hierarchy and the outside world since 1990. We then…
Périurbanisation et transformation du gradient de la mortalité urbaine en Suisse
Alors que les différences régionales d'espérance de vie se sont estompées en Suisse, quels sont les effets de la périurbanisation sur la géographie de la mortalité ? À partir des données de l'état civil et des recensements, on observe un accroissement des différentiels intra-urbains de mortalité depuis 1980, en particulier dans les villes les plus grandes ou qui se sont récemment étendues. Un gradient non linéaire émerge : l'espérance de vie est …
Fertility and union formation during crisis and societal consolidation in the Western Balkans
Fertility decline in central and eastern Europe (CEE) since the fall of the communist regimes has been driven by both stopping and postponement of childbearing: two processes that have been related to crisis and economic development, respectively. In the Western Balkans these economic and political contexts followed each other in the form of a biphasic transition. I examine whether this sequence triggered fertility responses like those observed e…
Fertility Decline in Urban and Rural Areas of Developing Countries
International Migration and City Growth in the Global South: An Analysis of Ipums Data for Seven Countries, 1992-2013
Evidence on the demographic components of city growth in the global South is scarce, and the role played by international migration is neglected. We analyze the importance of recent international migration in cities, compare it with that of internal movements, and evaluate the growth contribution across national contexts and the urban hierarchy. Combining individual-level census data and geographic master files of metropolitan areas with indirect…
The emergence of birth limitation as a new stage in the fertility transition in sub-Saharan Africa
The fertility transition started later in sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions of the world. Moreover, the average number of children per woman declined more slowly there, owing to a distinct mechanism of fertility reduction. It has been argued that th
Migrations internationales et croissance de la ville de Zurich entre 1836 et 1949
Le rôle joué par les migrations internationales et leurs interactions avec d'autres composantes démographiques dans le processus de croissance urbaine demeure sous-estimé. Cet article évalue les tendances de l'accroissement naturel et des migrations nettes internes et internationales à Zurich pendant la révolution industrielle, en s'appuyant sur des statistiques historiques ventilées par nationalité et des techniques d'estimations démographiques …
The end of urban sprawl? Internal migration across the rural‐urban continuum in Switzerland, 1966−2018
In high-income countries, migration redistributed populations from congested city centres into the sparsely populated outskirts, raising challenges to environmental and population health and the conservation of biodiversity. We evaluate whether this periurbanisation process came to a halt in Switzerland by expecting a decline in internal migration and a renewed residential attractiveness of urban agglomeration centres (i.e., re-urbanisation)-two …
Housing, street and health: A new systemic research framework
As the world’s population grows in cities, urban dwellers spend a large amount of time inside their home, making housing health ever more important. Critical for residents’ health, the interactions between indoor residential environments and outdoor environmental conditions (e.g. air pollution, noise, heat) are mediated by the controversial and evolving relationship between housing and the street. Currently, there is a lack of ways to integrate a…
Different health systems – Different mortality outcomes? Regional disparities in avoidable mortality across German-speaking Europe, 1992–2019
Societal Upheaval and the Contraceptive Transition
Human development and family planning programs since the 1970s have led to a fast-rising prevalence of modern contraceptive means at the global level. However, countries with rising but still low levels of contraceptive use experienced an increasing number of societal upheavals, including armed conflicts, sudden and high-intensity natural disasters, as well as dramatic effects of health epidemics. This may challenge the continued diffusion of mod…
The Diffusion of International Migration in Cities and Rural Areas of Developing Countries
Emigration concerns a growing number of developing countries, which have experienced a fast pace of urbanization since 1960. Yet we lack evidence about the interlinkages between the two phenomena. Should governments expect large-scale emigration, as ongoing urbanization increases people's aspirations and capabilities to move? We analyze rates of emigration (i.e., movements crossing national borders) from different tiers of the urban hierarchy obs…
Rising International Migration of the Highly Skilled Transforms Demographic and Geographic Patterns of Flows in High‐Income Countries: The Case of Switzerland 1966–2019
Demographic and economic consequences of international migration in high‐income countries depend on the patterns of flows, which have changed profoundly since WWII. We investigate how the increase in highly skilled migrants shaped the geography of flows, the age, sex and family composition and the international mobility of immigrants in Switzerland between 1966 and 2019. The large‐scale circulation of predominantly male migrants from neighbouring…
The Impact of Migration on Age Structure Conducive to Human Development Across the Urban Hierarchy
A larger working-age population supports economic and social development, and many developing countries are currently benefiting from this demographic window. However, internal migration-often age-selective-can create subnational inequalities by redistributing working-age individuals from less developed areas to cities in search of employment and upward social mobility. While many studies have explored the age selectivity of migration, few have e…
Internal Migration Over the Course of Urbanization in Developing Countries
Our understanding of the patterns of internal migration that underlie the fast urbanization in developing countries is mainly based on theory and country case studies. We test the hypothesis of a mobility transition from a comparative perspective by analyzing the evolution of different types of internal migration across the settlement hierarchy over the course of urbanization. We rely on repeated population censuses from 41 developing countries, …
Geography (17 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Population (16 works) · Demography (15 works) · Political science (15 works) · Economics (14 works) · Migration and Labor Dynamics (13 works) · Demographic economics (11 works) · Demography (10 works) · Development economics (8 works)