In Latvia, the academic and political attention to the topic of regional demographic development has been growing since the restoration of independence in 1991. There is a limited amount of factors capable of influencing the aforementioned process on the national and/or regional level, and the direct policy actions carried out by the government are among the most important of these factors that can be adjusted on a relatively short notice. With the aim to gauge potential impact of policy actions on the regional demographic change, author reviews the available literature concerning regional demographic development policies, and proceeds with the content analysis of the available legal/policy documents, as well as the meeting proceedings of the national parliament-Saeima. Author evaluates the selected documents and political statements in the context of the ongoing nationwide and regional demographic processes. Study results indicate significant discrepancies between the regional demographic problems and the respective policy actions. Author concludes that over the last decade, Latvian policy makers have followed a reactive, rather than the pro-active approach to emerging demographic risks in the country and its regions.
