Centre for Population Studies

History

The Centre for Population Studies (CSP) is an interdisciplinary research unit of Babeș-Bolyai University dedicated to the study of population dynamics from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Established in 2002, the centre has developed into one of the leading research units in Romania focusing on population studies and historical demography. In 2010 the centre was recognized as a Centre of Excellence of Babeș-Bolyai University, a statute preserved over time (last recognition in 2025).

The centre has also contributed to the international visibility of Romanian demographic research through the publication of the Romanian Journal of Population Studies, launched in 2007. The journal is published primarily in English and indexed in international databases such as ERIH Plus, ProQuest, EBSCO, and CEEOL.

Mission and Objectives

The Centre for Population Studies aims to advance interdisciplinary research on demographic processes and population dynamics by combining perspectives from history, sociology, and demography.

Its main objectives include:

• conducting fundamental and exploratory research in population studies.
• developing innovative digital research infrastructures and historical databases.
• supporting interdisciplinary collaboration between historians, demographers, sociologists, and data specialists.
• contributing to the training of students, doctoral candidates, and early-career researchers.
• strengthening international cooperation in the field of population studies.

Research Areas

Historical Demography

• One of the central research directions of the centre focuses on historical demographic processes and the quantitative analysis of past populations. A key research infrastructure developed by CSP is the Historical Population Database of Transylvania (HPDT), which contains information on hundreds of thousands of individuals from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This large-scale database enables longitudinal analyses of demographic behaviour, family structures, and social mobility, and serves as an essential tool for historical demographic research and training. 

Social History

• Research in social history explores the everyday life of past communities, focusing on family structures, childhood, social vulnerability, and the historical dynamics of health and living conditions. In recent years, the centre has developed the Transylvania Health Database (trhd.ro), an innovative digital resource that integrates historical medical and demographic records. The database enables the study of morbidity, mortality, and public health patterns in historical populations and supports interdisciplinary research at the intersection of social history, historical demography, and the history of medicine. By linking health information with demographic and socio-economic data, TRHD opens new possibilities for comparative and longitudinal research on health inequalities and living conditions in Transylvania’s past.

Sociology and Population Studies

• Another major research direction focuses on contemporary demographic and social processes. Research conducted within this area addresses topics such as changing family structures in modern societies, migration and transnational families, intergenerational solidarity, population ageing and the challenges it brings for the development of long-term care.