INED's early years were difficult. With the unexpected arrival of the baby boom (200,000 additional births in France in 1946), an institute established for the purpose of promoting births became somewhat superfluous. However INED was soon asked to study the consequences of the baby boom in terms of housing, schooling, employment, infant and maternal mortality, etc. Sauvy also launched the Institute's first scientific journal called Population, intended for a broad readership, as stated in the introduction to the first edition: "Population's fundamental aim is to publish the results of our research. It is not only for specialized demographers but for anyone concerned about major issues of national interest". Sauvy edited the journal from 1946 to 1976, and the content of those early issues illustrates the main concerns of the period, including the falling birth rate, population ageing, the economy and immigration.