What does the data tell us about trends in population and socio-economic development?

February 14 and 19, 2001

Contents:

Topics to be discussed	General assignment
Links	Reccomended Readings
Supplements

Topics to be Discussed

I. Population Growth Trends

• Past
• Present
• Future

II. Components of Population Growth

• Fertility
• Mortality
• Migration

III. Composition of the Population

• Population Aging
• Urbanization
• International Migration

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General Assignment

World Population, Beyond Six Billion, Arlene Gelbard, Carl Haub and Mary M. Kent, Population Reference Bureau, Population Bulletin, Vol. 53, No. 3, March 1999.

Population: A Lively Introduction, Joseph A. Mc Falls Jr., Population Reference Bureau, Population Bulletin, Vol. 53, No. 3, 1999.

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Recommended Readings

Each group has its own reading assignment, to find yours, click on your group. (To find out what group you are in, go to "Supplements".)

Group A

"Population Dynamics in Developing Countries", by Thomas Merrick in Population and Development: Old Debates, New Conclusions, Robert Cassen (ed.) Overseas Development Council, New York, 1994, Ch. 2, pp. 80-105.

Group B

"Population, Food and Income: Global Trends in the Twentieth Century" by Nicholas Eberstadt, in The True State of the Planet, Robert Bailey (editor), 1995, Chapter 1, pp. 8-47.

Group C

"Recent Trends and Prospects in World Population Growth" by Vasantha Kandiah and Shiro Horiuchi, Population Bulletin of the United Nations, Vol. 39, 1995, pp. 133-146.

Group D

"Population Growth in the 21 st Century: Cause for Crisis or Celebration?" by John Cleland, in Journal of Tropical Medicine and International Health, February 1996, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 15-26.


Group E.

"Can Immigration Slow U.S. Population Aging?", by Thomas Espenshade, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 13, No. 4, 1994, pp. 759-768.

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Links

Concepts and Measures

• Concepts and Measures (lecture notes from David Shapiro)

Population Data

• Population Data Sheet (from Population Reference Bureau)
• Estimates and Projections (from UN Population Division)
• Population Trends (from UN Population Division)
• OECD Maps of Demographic Data

Population Trends

• The "Birth Dearth" (article from Population Action International)

Population Projections

• Population Projections to 2150 (from the UN Population Division)
• Discussion of Population Projections (from the UN Population Division)
• A dynamic presentation of the future growth of the age pyramid in the least developed countries

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Supplements

Contents:

• Journalistic Articles
• Academic Articles:
• Reading List
• List of Graphs to be Shown in Class
• Maps
• Graphs
• Illustrations

Academic Articles:

The role of demographic factors in the housing market:

Berson, David W. "The Importance of Demographics in Economic Analysis: the Unusual Suspects", in Business Economics, pp. 12-16.

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