Evolutionary contributions to the study of human fertility

Demography, lacking an overarching theoretical framework of its own, has drawn on theories in many other social sciences to inform its analyses. The aim of this paper is to bring to the demographic community’s attention research in the evolutionary sciences on fertility, and to demonstrate that evolutionary theory can be another useful tool in the demographer’s toolkit. I first dispel some myths which impede the incorporation of evolutionary theory into demography: I make it clear that evolutionary explanations do not assume that all human behaviour is hardwired and functions to maximize genetic fitness; that they are able to explain variation in human behaviour; and that they are not necessarily alternatives to social science explanations. I then describe the diversity of work on fertility by evolutionary researchers, particularly human evolutionary ecologists and cultural evolutionists, and illustrate the usefulness of the evolutionary approach with examples of its application to age at first birth and the fertility transition.     

Testing Evolutionary Hypotheses with Demographic Data

An ecological evolutionary viewpoint offers new perspectives on contemporary demographic problems in general and on population–environment issues in particular. In turn, rich and detailed human demographic data can help solve problems of interest in evolutionary theory. Such data have been analyzed in greatest detail in studies of traditional and historical societies. Evolutionary approaches using historical data go beyond small‐sample anthropological studies to the application of the evolutionary approach to large datasets, and illuminate important similarities between small‐scale traditional societies and large modern populations living in evolutionarily novel environments. This article provides a concise update of the breadth of questions and hypotheses of likely interest to demographers and others that evolutionary theorists address using a variety of traditional and historical datasets. It suggests opportunities for additional collaborative work between evolutionary theorists and historical demographers and highlights topics relevant to modern demography.     

Promises and Pitfalls of Using Digital Traces for Demographic Research

The digital traces that we leave online are increasingly fruitful sources of data for social scientists, including those interested in demographic research. The collection and use of digital data also presents numerous statistical, computational, and ethical challenges, motivating the development of new research approaches to address these burgeoning issues. In this article, we argue that researchers with formal training in demography—those who have a history of developing innovative approaches to using challenging data—are well positioned to contribute to this area of work. We discuss the benefits and challenges of using digital trace data for social and demographic research, and we review examples of current demographic literature that creatively use digital trace data to study processes related to fertility, mortality, and migration. Focusing on Facebook data for advertisers—a novel “digital census” that has largely been untapped by demographers—we provide illustrative and empirical examples of how demographic researchers can manage issues such as bias and representation when using digital trace data. We conclude by offering our perspective on the road ahead regarding demography and its role in the data revolution.     

Demography as a Spatial Social Science

Scholars in many social science disciplines have taken note of the re-emerging interest in issues concerning social processes embedded within a spatial context. While some argue that this awakening is refreshing and new and, in fact, long overdue, I demonstrate that spatially focused demographic theories and research agendas clearly predate contemporary interest in these topics. I assert that recent methodological advancements have merely encouraged and brought refinement to the expanding body of spatially oriented population research—research strongly rooted in demographic tradition and practice. Indeed, I make the claim that, until roughly the mid-20th century, virtually all demography in the United States (and elsewhere, but not specifically examined here) was spatial demography. Then, shortly after mid-century, a paradigm shift occurred, and the scientific study of population quickly came to be dominated by attention to the individual as the agent of demographic action. Traditional spatial demography—macro-demography—gave way to micro-demography, and, I argue, most demographers simply abandoned the data and approach of spatial demography. In closing the paper I include a brief discussion of the recent awakening that has come to spatial demographers from developments in other disciplines, principally geography, regional science, and spatial econometrics.     

美国的人口学兴衰及其决定因素

从社会建构主义视角回顾和分析美国人口学的发展历程,展现人口学在不同历史时期的发展状况。人口学作为一门学科,其学科特色是人口学者们在特定的历史条件下人为建构出来的。人口学本身是不断的调整和发展的,人口学者们应注意到这一现象,不要被人口学所谓的内在学科特色所束缚。     

Theory in Highly Cited Studies of Sexual Minority Parent Families: Variations and Implications

This article includes a systematic review and citation analysis of the literature regarding sexual minority parent families, particularly attending to what theories have been used, and how. We consider the importance of theoretical frameworks for future research and implications for policy, practice, and law related to sexual minority parent families. Our review targets 30 highly cited studies located through Google Scholar (as an interdisciplinary search engine) and published within a specific timeframe (2005–2010). We highlight the dominant theoretical models employed across disciplines studying sexual minority parent families. Although the majority of studies reviewed referred to theoretical models or perspectives, explicit theoretical grounding was frequently lacking. Instead, the empirical work reviewed appeared to have a predominantly applied focus in addressing public debates on sexual minority parent families. We provide recommendations for how theory might be more fully integrated into the social science literature on sexual minority parents and their children.     

Studying Marxist theory on population and initiating a new situation in demographic research]

Within Marxist ideology are important population theories that led to the establishment of demography and the work of population control in China. Marxist population theory should be studied in order to build a scientific system of concepts in population theory. Both Marx and Engels spoke of the relationship between human reproduction and material production, and of how the modes of social development determine population development. Marx also established the view that a normal population and surplus population both were mutually adaptable with a certain production basis. In any historical period, the total population is not determined subjectively by man's wishes, but is a product of historical development. The Maoist population theory is derived from Marxist theory. Borrowing from historical materialism, Mao said that of all the objects in the world, man is the most precious. Nevertheless, he continued, while China's large population is good, it brings many difficulties; thus, population must be controlled. The study of demography should follow Marxist and Maoist population theories, even though the study of Marixst population theory is relatively recent and much remains to be learned.     

The contours of demography: Estimates and projections

This paper considers the scope of demography and the various research approaches that legitimately could claim the label. As a small field lacking security in academic structures, demography has been unusually sensitive to demand factors, including those associated with perceived population problems. International health is cited as an area of increased demographic presence; reasons for this development are explored. The technology for performing research in demography is improving more rapidly than in many other areas of the social sciences, and thus is helping to improve the relative standing of the field. Taking a demand-oriented approach, the paper identifies several promising research areas in which demographers will be called on to address issues of national and international concern.     

Liberation groups and life philosophy

Social liberation movements are significant arenas for cultural value growth. I discuss two forms of value growth that occur on the social liberation front-life philosophy value growth and life-style value growth. I show how life philosophy values are personal identity instilling values while life-style values are social identity instilling values. Unfortunately, within many social liberation movements, the two sorts of values often get confused with one another. I discuss some of these confusions within both the black liberation and feminist liberation movements. I also discuss some proper value growth models that work appropriately within these movements.     

Was ist neu am Neo-Institutionalismus?

This paper discusses the specific characteristic of the new institutionalism in comparison with other dominant approaches within US organization studies. The argument is led by the theses that within contingency theory, resource dependency theory, and population ecology the economic environment is of utmost importance and that the economy is regarded as the major sphere of reference, either implicitly or explicitly. A multi-contextual embeddedness between organizations and society is hardly to be found within these theoretical approaches. The new institutionalism departs from this line of thinking, because it considers a variety of different environmental realms and sees organizations as always being embedded within a societal context. I regard this as the central new and distinguishing feature of the new institutionalism. The aim of the paper is to show this distinguishing difference between the new institutionalism and the three approaches.     

Women,Demography, and Politics: How Lower Fertility Rates Lead to Democracy

Where connections between demography and politics are examined in the literature, it is largely in the context of the effects of male aspects of demography on phenomena such as political violence. This project aims to place the study of demographic variables’ influence on politics, particularly on democracy, squarely within the scope of political and social sciences, and to focus on the effects of woman-related demographics—namely, fertility rate. I test the hypothesis that demographic variables—female-related predictors, in particular—have an independent effect on political structure. Comparing countries over time, this study finds a growth in democracy when fertility rates decline. In the theoretical framework developed, it is family structure as well as the economic and political status of women that account for this change at the macro and micro levels. Findings based on data for more than 140 countries over three decades are robust when controlling not only for alternative effects but also for reverse causality and data limitations.     

A Reflective Cybernetic Study on the Experiences of a Gay Male Teacher in the Free State Province

ABSTRACT

Sexuality education has become a core component in advancing the ideals of social justice and inclusivity within schooling environments. Its implementation has, however, been met with resistance as its sensitive nature often leads to conflicting messages, especially in relation to the myriad cultures and ambiguity thereof when placed against the contrasting values characteristic of multicultural South Africa. This article speaks to my experiences as a gay male teacher within the context of teaching at primary and secondary schools in the Free State province. I draw on the challenges and barriers I experienced, especially as a new teacher, and reflect critically on how this influenced my growth as an educator in the following years. Primarily, my approach and pedagogy were positioned within silence and uncritical reflection as to how my teachings can align with the ideals of social justice and inclusivity. Framed through a cybernetic perspective, I investigate how my pedagogy has adapted and transformed toward a less reactive approach and in turn aligned more actively with these ideals. This study is a self-reflective narrative that accounts for my experiences within different systems and how my presence influenced the systemic dynamics of the schools in which I taught.     

How Influential Are Demography Journals?

This article examines, by means of citation analysis for the years 1991–95, the process of knowledge dissemination in demography journals and the intellectual exchange of demography journals with neighboring social sciences. In addition, it investigates the degree of uncitedness in demography journals. It turns out that a considerable percentage of articles are left uncited: 36 percent of the articles published in demography journals between 1990 and 1992 remained uncited in the five years following their publication. However, these overall uncitedness rates conceal large variations between journals. General-oriented demography journals from the US are well cited. Within the set of demography journals, knowledge flows from general to specialized journals and to a lesser extent the other way round. Specialized journals play a minor role in the construction and exchange of fundamental demographic knowledge. They do, however, influence specific audiences in neighboring social sciences.     

Social Demography and Eugenics in the Interwar United States

This article explores the relationship between eugenics and demography in the United States in the interwar era. In focusing on the founding of the International Union for the Scientific Investigation of Population Problems and the Population Association of America, it shows how early population scientists contested and negotiated the boundaries of the population field. The article maps the shifting focus away from biological interpretations of population dynamics toward the social, in part as a reaction to the rise of Fascist population research and policy. However, it also shows how social demography was closely intertwined with a “social eugenics” that attempted to ensure human betterment through methods more consistent with New Deal policymaking. This, the article argues, contributed critical intellectual and material resources to the development of social surveys of fertility behavior and contraceptive use, surveys that are more commonly perceived as having undermined eugenics through challenging the biologically deterministic assumptions upon which it was based.     

Leslie matrix models

A review of the Leslie matrix model theory and its literature 1941-1987 is presented. The point of view is that of a mathematician who focuses on the parts of the theory which are relevant to demography. Works of a decidedly applied nature are not dealt with.     

An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Fertility

This paper illustrates evolutionary approaches to population issues. Life history theory is a general theoretical framework that incorporates environmental influences, contextual influences, and heritable variation. In general, physically or psychologically stressful environments delay maturation and the onset of reproductive competence. Perceptions of scarcity also result in lower fertility by delaying reproduction or having fewer children—a phenomenon viewed as an adaptation to ancestral environments. The desire for upward social mobility is viewed as an evolved motive disposition affecting fertility decisions. The opportunity for upward social mobility typically results in delaying reproduction and lowering fertility in the interest of increasing investment in children. Variation in life history strategies is also influenced by genetic variation, but genetic variation interacts with cultural shifts in the social control of sexual behavior. Finally, i discuss the effects of between-group competition for resources on population issues. Immigration policy and group differences in fertility influence political power within and between societies, often with explosive results. Demographic expansion has often been an instrument of ethnic competition and is an important source of conflict in the contemporary world.     

Leslie matrix models

A review of the Leslie matrix model theory and its literature 1941–1987 is presented. The point of view is that of a mathematician who focuses on the parts of the theory which are relevant to demography. Works of a decidedly applied nature are not dealt with.     

Going to extremes: Family structure, children’s well-being, and social science

In this article I argue that public discussions of demographic issues are often conducted in a troubling pattern in which one extreme position is debated in relation to the opposite extreme. This pattern impedes our understanding of social problems and is a poor guide to sound public policies. To illustrate this thesis I use the case of social scientific research examining how children are affected by not living with two biological parents while they are growing up. Over the last decade, I maintain, most of the public, and even many social scientists, have been puzzled and poorly informed by this debate. In particular I consider Judith Wallerstein's clinically based claims of the pervasive, profound harm caused by divorce and, at the other extreme, Judith Rich Harris's reading of behavioral genetics and evolutionary psychology, which leads her to dismiss the direct effects of divorce. Neither extreme gives a clear picture of the consequences of growing up in a single-parent family or a stepfamily.     

Demography and the environment

Demographers' interest in the environment has generally been enmeshed in broader issues of population growth and economic development. Empirical research by demographers on environmental issues other than natural-resource constraints is limited. In this paper, I briefly review past demographic thinking about population and the environment and suggest reasons for the limited scope of demographic research in this area. Next, I describe more recent demographic research on the environment and suggest several newer areas for demographic research. Finally, I consider the future of research on the environment in the field of demography.