Reports from the Committee on Population (2001-2008)

	Biosocial Surveys (2007) Biosocial Surveys analyzes the latest research on the increasing number of multipurpose household surveys that collect biological data along with the more familiar interviewer respondent information. This book serves as a follow-up to the 2003 volume, Cells and Surveys: Should Biological Measures Be Included in Social Science Research? And, asks these questions: What have the social sciences, especially demography, learned from those efforts and the greater interdisciplinary communication that has resulted from them? Which biological or genetic information has proven most useful to researchers? How can better models be developed to help integrate biological and social science information in ways that can broaden scientific understanding? This volume contains a collection of 17 papers by distinguished experts in demography, biology, economics, epidemiology, and survey methodology. It is an invaluable sourcebook for social and behavioral science researchers who are working with biosocial data.
	Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa: Recommendations for Furthering Research (2006) This report adds to the empirical and conceptual knowledge of the situation of older people in sub-Saharan Africa and makes practical suggestions for further research in this area. The report is based on a workshop organized by the Committee on Population in collaboration with the Health and Population Division, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
	Child Health in Complex Emergencies (2006) Addressing the health needs of children in complex emergencies is critical to the success of relief efforts and requires coordinated and effective interventions. However, little systematic work has been undertaken to evaluate such care. To address this need, this monograph presents a review of the published literature in this area, providing background on the burden of disease, the major causes of morbidity and mortality, and the evidence base for effective interventions.
	Hispanics and the Future of America (2006) Serving as a companion volume to Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies, this volume contains a series of papers commissioned by the Panel on Hispanics in the United States to provide a more detailed treatment of the issues covered in the main report. The papers draw on a wide variety of data sources to describe the contours of the Hispanic population, from the perspectives of history, demography, geography, education, family, employment, economic well-being, health, and political engagement.
	Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies: Hispanics in the United States (2006) Given current demographic trends, nearly one in five U.S. residents will be of Hispanic origin by 2025. This major demographic shift and its implications for both the United States and the growing Hispanic population make Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies a most timely book. This report from the National Research Council describes how Hispanics are transforming the country as they disperse geographically. It considers their roles in schools, in the labor market, in the health care system, and in U.S. politics. This book examines the diverse populations encompassed by the term Hispanic, representing immigrants and their children and grandchildren from nearly two dozen Spanish-speaking countries. It describes the trajectory of the younger generations and established residents, and it projects likely long-term trends in population aging, social disparities, and social mobility that have shaped and will shape the Hispanic experience.
	Supporting Local Health Care in a Chronic Crises: Management and Financing Approaches in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (2006) Providing adequate medical support to a local population during a complex humanitarian emergency is extremely difficult. This study looks at four organizations that provide health care in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo within a context that has all the elements of a severe humanitarian crisis: high excess mortality, ongoing armed violence, mass forced displacement, interference by neighboring countries, resource exploitation, asset stripping, and the virtual absence of the state. The study uses qualitative and quantitative data to compare the management and financing approaches of these four organizations as well as their interaction with the (remaining) local health providers and the local population.
	Growing Up Global: The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries (2005) This report examines how global forces are altering the transition to adulthood in developing countries and what the implications of these changes might be for those responsible for designing youth policies and programs. Adolescence is a critical period of human development that sets young people on trajectories that shape their future as adults. Concerns about how global forces are altering the transition to adulthood are all the more urgent because of the changing demographic profile of many developing countries. By 2005, the world’s population of 10-to 24-year-olds is estimated to be 1.5 billion. Despite dramatic progress in certain areas, many young people still lack adequate schooling and good health—both of which are essential for ensuring their productivity and well-being. This report examines the changing transition to adulthood in developing countries, with a particular emphasis on gender, and explores the policy implications of these changes.
	The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries: Selected Studies (2005) Serving as a companion to Growing Up Global, this book produces a series of detailed case studies that both complements its precursor and makes for a useful contribution in its own right.
	Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life (2004) Based on a workshop organized by the Committee on Population, the papers in this volume deal with the extent of racial and ethnic disparities in life-expectancy, health, and disability and the extent to which these disparities can be attributed to differences in lifestyle risk factors, access to health care, and other social and economic factors. This volume provides the empirical evidence for the companion report Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life.
	Fertility of Mailan Tamasheq Repatriated Refugees: The Impact of Forced Migration (2004) In Africa many of the refugee flows in recent years have had a strong ethnic dimension; interethnic conflict or conflict between politically powerful groups with minority populations is often an important aspect of who is forced to flee. In most cases the origins of conflict occur in a multiethnic environment, and repatriation (if it happens) occurs in that multiethnic context, with implications for subsequent relationships between the groups in terms of political, economic, and numeric power. This monograph provides a detailed case study of the situation of Malian Tamasheq repatriated refugees.
	Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life: A Research Agenda (2004) Few indicators offer more dramatic social commentary than evidence of large and persistent racial and ethnic differences in life expectancy. Most of this research has focused on black-white differences: it consistently shows that despite rising life-expectancy and general improvements in the health status of the U.S. population, blacks continue to experience significantly lower life-expectancy than whites. Responding to these concerns, the National Institute on Aging requested the Committee on Population to identify promising research that it could fund to support the development of policies aimed at eliminating these racial and ethnic health disparities. This volume provides a concise summary of available research and lays out a research agenda to address the many uncertainties in current knowledge.
	War, Humanitarian Crises, Population Displacement, and Fertility: A Review of Evidence (2004) Fertility and reproductive health issues more broadly have tended to be of low priority in humanitarian crises. Reproductive health has been regarded as a longer term issue that could safely be put on the back burner during the crisis phase of an emergency, when issues of providing adequate food, clean water, and shelter, plus treating acute infectious diseases of crowding, take priority. When reproductive health has been a priority, attention has focused on issues around sexually transmitted diseases and sexual violence. Although these are entirely appropriate priorities, little attention has been paid to the consequences for fertility, the major determinant of medium-term population dynamics, of humanitarian crises.
	Cities Transformed: Demographic Change and Its Implications in the Developing World (2003) Virtually all of the growth in the world s population for the foreseeable future will take place in the cities and towns of the developing world. Over the next twenty years, most developing countries will for the first time become more urban than rural. The benefits from urbanization cannot be overlooked, but the speed and sheer scale of this transformation present many challenges. A new cast of policy makers is emerging to take up the many responsibilities of urban governance as many national governments decentralize and devolve their functions, programs in poverty, health, education, and public services are increasingly being deposited in the hands of untested municipal and regional governments. Demographers have been surprisingly slow to devote attention to the implications of the urban transformation. Drawing from a wide variety of data sources, many of them previously inaccessible, Cities Transformed explores the implications of various urban contexts for marriage, fertility, health, schooling, and children s lives. It should be of interest to all involved in city-level research, policy, planning, and investment decisions.
	Initial Steps in Rebuilding the Health Sector in East Timor (2003) This monograph summarizes the rehabilitation and development of the health sector in East Timor from early 2000 to the end of 2001. The health infrastructure in East Timor at the beginning of that period was in total disarray, with more than a third of health facilities totally destroyed and much of the rest substantially damaged. Most equipment and supplies had been looted or damaged beyond use. More than 80 percent of medically qualified staff had returned to Indonesia, and the central health administration was defunct. The health situation at that time was characterized by high child and maternal mortality rates and a high prevalence of communicable diseases, including malaria and tuberculosis. By the end of 2001 district health management teams had been established in all districts and basic services has been restored. The monograph offers some important insights into the challenges of providing services during transitional administrations.
	Offspring: Human Fertility Behavior in Biodemographic Perspective (2003) Despite recent advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of human behavior, little of this work has penetrated into formal demography. Few demographers worry about how biological processes might affect voluntary behavior choices that have demographic consequences even though behavioral geneticists have documented genetics effects on variables such as parenting and divorce. Offspring: Human Fertility Behavior in Demographic Perspective brings together leading researchers from a wide variety of disciplines to review the state of research in this emerging field and to identify promising research directions for the future.
	Psychosocial Concepts in Humanitarian Work with Children: A Review of the Concepts and Related Literature (2003) In recent years, many humanitarian agencies have come to address psychological and social factors in their programmatic responses to conflict, natural disasters, and displacement. These programs have been termed "psychosocial" programs. At the same time, there has been very little consensus as to how the term should be defined and what elements are essential in a psychosocial program. This monograph reviews relevant concepts and related literature.
	Demographic Assessment Techniques in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Summary of a Workshop (2002) The term complex humanitarian emergency refers to a situation in which a civilian population is displaced from their homes by war or conflict. In addition, there is often a deterioration of living conditions and sometimes a significant increase in mortality, either in the short or long term. One of the primary and earliest challenges in a complex humanitarian emergency is to obtain accurate estimates of displaced populations and their mortality rates. This report summarizes the discussions that occurred during a two-day meeting organized by the Committee on Population to review various demographic assessment techniques in complex humanitarian emergencies. Although many basic guidelines exist to help field personnel in demographic assessment techniques, the quickly changing and generally unstable context of a crisis can make it difficult to implement a rapid assessment. Furthermore, the differing causes and demographic effects of emergencies make a one-size-fits-all response problematic.
	Emerging Issues in Hispanic Health: Summary of a Workshop (2002) According to data from the 2000 census, Hispanics—to the extent that they can be considered a discrete and identifiable segment of American society—are now the largest minority in the United States, composing 12.5 percent of the population. By 2050, Hispanics are expected to constitute 25 percent of the U.S. population. Ethnic minorities in the United States—especially those who have high rates of poverty such as Hispanics—often experience disparities in health and in accessing health care services. This is problematic because good health represents a minimum condition for full participation in most dimensions of life, including the ability to work and be steadily employed and/or to consistently attend school and learn.
	Leveraging Longitudinal Data in Developing Countries: Report of a Workshop (2002) The Committee on Population convened a workshop to examine the comparative strengths and weaknesses of various longitudinal approaches in addressing demographic and health questions in developing countries and to consider ways to strengthen longitudinal data collection and analysis. This report summarizes the discussion and opinions voiced at that workshop.
	Malaria Control During Mass Population Movements and Natural Disasters (2002) This monograph provides a basic overview of the state of knowledge of epidemiology of malaria and public health interventions and practices for controlling the disease in situations involving forced migration and conflict.
	Research Ethics in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Summary of a Workshop (2002) Situations involving conflict and forced migration have become increasingly commonplace in today’s world. The need to understand the causes, consequences, and characteristics of these situations is creating a burgeoning field of research. But given the nature of complex emergency settings, traditional research guidelines may be inappropriate. The research and policy community has recognized this problem and has begun to address issues surrounding the ethics of doing research in emergency settings and among conflict-affected and displaced populations. The Roundtable on the Demography of Forced Migration held a workshop to examine some of these issues. This report summarizes the workshop presentations and discussions.
	Cells and Surveys: Should Biological Measures be Included in Social Science Research? (2001) What can social science and demography in particular, reasonably expect to learn from biological information? There is increasing pressure for multipurpose household surveys to collect biological data along with the more familiar interviewer-respondent information. Given that recent technical developments have made it more feasible to collect biological information in non-clinical settings, those who fund, design, and analyze survey data need to think through the rationale and potential consequences. This is a concern that transcends normal disciplinary boundaries. Cells and Surveys addresses issues such as which biologic/genetic data should be collected in order to be most useful to a range of social scientists and whether amassing biological data has unintended side effects. The book also takes a look at the various ethical and legal concerns that such data collection entails.
	Diffusion Processes and Fertility Transition: Selected Studies (2001) This volume addresses the roles of diffusion processes, ideational change, social networks, and mass communications in changing behavior and values, especially as related to childbearing. Given the potential significance of social interactions to the design of effective family planning programs in high-fertility settings, efforts to synthesize this emerging body of literature are clearly important. The volume contains case studies from studies of social networks in Asia (Thailand, Taiwan, Korea), Latin America (Costa Rica), and Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya, Malawi, Ghana).
	Forced Migration and Mortality (2001) In recent years the number of complex humanitarian emergencies around the world has been steadily increasing. War and political, ethnic, racial, and religious strife continually force people to migrate against their will. These forced migrants create a stream of new challenges for relief workers and policy makers. A better understanding of the characteristics of refugee populations and of the population dynamics of these situations is vital. Improved research and insights can enhance disaster management, refugee camp administration, and repatriation or resettlement programs. Forced Migration and Mortality examines mortality patterns in complex humanitarian emergencies, reviewing the state of knowledge, as well as how patterns may change in the new century. It contains four case studies of mortality in recent emergencies: Rwanda, North Korea, Kosovo, and Cambodia. Because refugees and internally displaced persons are likely to continue to be a significant humanitarian concern for many years, research in this field is critical. This is the first book to comprehensively explore forced migration and mortality and it provides useful material for researchers, policy makers, and relief workers.
	Preparing for an Aging World: The Case for Cross-National Research (2001) Aging is a process that encompasses virtually all aspects of life. Because the speed of population aging is accelerating, and because the data needed to study the aging process are complex and expensive to obtain, it is imperative that countries coordinate their research efforts to reap the most benefits from this important information. Preparing for an Aging World looks at the behavioral and socioeconomic aspects of aging, and focuses on work, retirement, and pensions; wealth and savings behavior; health and disability; intergenerational transfers; and concepts of well-being. It makes recommendations for a collection of new, cross-national data on aging populations data that will allow nations to develop policies and programs for addressing the major shifts in population age structure now occurring. These efforts, if made internationally, would advance our understanding of the aging process around the world.

Other Reports of Interest

	Beyond Six Billion: Forecasting the Worlds Population (2000) Is rapid world population growth actually coming to an end? As population growth and its consequences have become front-page issues, projections of slowing growth from such institutions as the United Nations and the World Bank have been called into question. Beyond Six Billion asks what such projections really say, why they say it, whether they can be trusted, and whether they can be improved. The book includes analysis of how well past U.N. and World Bank projections have panned out, what errors have occurred, and why they have happened. Focusing on fertility as one key to accurate projections, the panel examines the transition from high, constant fertility to low fertility levels and discusses whether developing countries will eventually attain the very low levels of births now observed in the industrialized world. Other keys to accurate projections, predictions of lengthening life span and of the impact of international migration on specific countries, are also explored in detail. How good are our methods of population forecasting? How can we cope with the inevitable uncertainty? What population trends can we anticipate? Beyond Six Billion illuminates not only the forces that shape population growth but also the accuracy of the methods we use to quantify these forces and the uncertainty surrounding projections.
	Between Zeus and Salmon: The Biodemography of Longevity (1997) Demographers and public health specialists have been surprised by the rapid increases in life expectancy, especially at the oldest ages, which have occurred since the early 1960s. There is new evidence about the genetic bases for both humans and other species. There are also new theories and models of the role of mutations accumulating over the life span and the possible evolutionary advantages of survival after the reproductive years. This volume deals with such diverse topics as the role of the elderly in other species and among human societies past and present, the contribution of evolutionary theory to our understanding of human longevity and intergenerational transfers, mathematical models for survival, and the potential for collecting genetic material in household surveys. It will be particularly valuable for promoting communication between the social and life sciences.
	The New Americans: Economic Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration (1997) This book sheds light on one of the most controversial issues of the decade. It identifies the economic gains and losses from immigration—for the nation, states, and local areas—and provides a foundation for public discussion and policymaking. Three key questions are explored: • What is the influence of immigration on the overall economy, especially national and regional labor markets? • What are the overall effects of immigration on federal, state, and local government budgets? • What effects will immigration have on the future size and makeup of the nation's population over the next 50 years? The New Americans examines what immigrants gain by coming to the United States and what they contribute to the country, the skills of immigrants and those of native-born Americans, the experiences of immigrant women and other groups, and much more. It offers examples of how to measure the impact of immigration on government revenues and expenditures—estimating one year's fiscal impact in California, New Jersey, and the United States and projecting the long-run fiscal effects on government revenues and expenditures. Also included is background information on immigration policies and practices and data on where immigrants come from, what they do in America, and how they will change the nation's social fabric in the decades to come.