The ABC of demographic behaviour: how the interplays of alleles, brains, and contexts over the life course should shape research aimed at understanding population processes

This paper proposes core innovations in the strategy of research on demographic behaviour. One aim is a shift of attention away from events and towards a focus on dynamic processes and their interplay: away from a preoccupation with marriage and divorce, births, deaths, migrations, and household structure towards a broader perspective that takes account of partnership and intimacy, parenthood, potential and well-being, position in society and space, and personal ties. Another aim is a much closer engagement with genetics, neuroscience, psychology, and behavioural economics. A third aim is a strategy that pays more attention to pathways within the individual, to the processes entailed when the individual interacts with various contexts, and to progressions that involve the interplay of the pathways and processes through the life course. These shifts of emphasis, which have already begun to occur, require a systematic reassessment of priorities for research on demographic behaviour.     

Alternative approaches to fertility transition

"Using anomalies of the Italian case as the basis, the aim of this article is to verify how the theoretical framework [of demographic transition] put forward by Lesthaeghe can be interpreted.... While the changes in mores in the Italy of the economic boom were a component of the large-scale processes of secularization, rationalization and modernization specific to the [first demographic transition], the practices, values and models of the collective imagination characterizing the second phase of Lesthaeghe's [second demographic transition] are marked by a state of mind that cannot be put down to the 'spirit of the age' during the years of large-scale modernization, but to the emancipatory and 'rational' falling away of many of the barriers to the unfolding of individual life destiny over and above that based on class, gender and age."     

What predicts breast cancer rates? Testing hypotheses of the demographic and nutrition transitions

Modern demographic and nutritional transitions have been implicated in global epidemiological transitions intensifying over the last 60 years. These transitions include steadily declining fertility rates, improving nutritional indicators, and increasing incidence rates of chronic diseases such as breast cancer. This research draws on the well established pathways linking individual reproductive and nutritional profiles to breast cancer risk, in order to test the links among demographic, nutritional, and epidemiological transitions on a global scale. We propose two hypotheses that test the reproductive and nutritional pathways that are suggested to increase breast cancer risk at the population level. We use total fertility rate (TFR) to test the reproductive behaviour hypothesis, and we use average height and the percentage of the population that is overweight for the nutritional hypothesis; these indicators are compared to breast cancer incidence rates for 2008. Accounting for national wealth and expenditures on healthcare, we found that both hypotheses were significantly associated with breast cancer incidence, although TFR appears to have a more consistent association with incidence. Drawing on our regression model, we explain trends in breast cancer incidence in selected countries, as well as making predictions about shifting breast cancer incidence rates over the next several decades. These data suggest that greater attention should be paid to the unintended health consequences of transitions that are largely considered to bring improvements in quality of life. Our findings suggest that greater investments in screening and treatment are particularly needed in regions undergoing transitions in fertility rates, particularly those areas experiencing super-low fertility.     

Research on gender in demography: Limitations and constraints

This paper explores the issue of gender in demography, focusing on the question of why we don't know more than we do about the role of gender in demographic processes. Our lack of knowledge is partly explained by demography's research and policy focus on the two questions central to the field in recent decades, fertility decline and the relationship between economic and demographic change. The focus on these issues – sometimes at the expense of other research questions and issues – has meant that some social processes surrounding demographic change, including the role of gender, have not received the attention they deserve. Understanding gender's complex relationship to social behaviors, such as demographic behavior, requires attention to social/cultural context and to power. Demography needs to expand our knowledge of gender through the development of new research questions, research designs, and methodologies. Doing so will give us new insights into demographic processes.     

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.     

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.     

Der Capability-Ansatz in der Gesundheitsförderung: Ansatzpunkte für eine Neuausrichtung der Ungleichheitsforschung

Health-related well-being is a result of individual or collective agency. Understanding and influencing health-relevant behaviour, however, requires to account for physical and social contexts of agency. Accordingly, the authors suggest a focus in modern health promotion on people’s health-relevant resources and capabilities. This requires a theoretical basis onto which issues of social inequality can be linked to specific approaches of health promotion practice, namely empowerment and participation. To this purpose, the authors present Amartya Sen’s theory-based Capability Approach (CA) and complement it with insights from Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital interaction. Both of these theories shed light on key issues of social inequality and can fruitfully be associated with the guiding principles in health promotion stipulated by the Ottawa Charter. Together, they provide guidelines for new areas of research to analyse the complex interplay between health behaviour and social context.     

Community confidentiality,consent, and the individual research process: Implications for demographic research

Institutional review boards are increasingly meticulous about informed consent and risks and benefits to study participants. Concurrently, heated debate in a number of fields has advanced the notion of community risk and benefit. When research is conducted in communities, and the results may “do harm to” communities socially, economically, or medically, should informed and voluntary consent be obtained from communities as well? We argue that for demographers – by definition interested at the phenomena at the population level – concern for individuals as a part of communities is critical to the research process. Questions of community consent, confidentiality, and participation will be pushed to the fore as demography delves into new areas and methods of investigation. This paper provides a brief overview of the historical development of ethics in human subjects research and the subsequent ties to community-level concerns. Drawing on current examples from a variety of settings, we explore definitions of community, the scope and viability of community participation in research, and the implications of these for demographic enquiry. We find that in contrast to substantive debates, little attention has been given to ethical issues in the demographic research process. Research accountability to communities, including the documentation of community risks and benefits, and community representation and consultation in the research process are recommended.     

Demographic change, endogenous labor supply and the political feasibility of pension reform

Options for reforming unfunded public pension schemes that are now being discussed all share the feature that the burden induced by demographic change would be shifted towards presently living and away from unborn generations. Existing models of the political economy of pension reform can not explain why such reform options are being discussed at all. We present an alternative model in which the possibility of evasion of workers from payment of social security taxes is taken into account by modelling a labor supply function. It turns out that the burden of demographic change may fall completely or at least predominantly on the pensioners. Thus this type of model can much better explain recent trends in legislature on unfunded public pension systems in industrial democracies. Received: 7 January 1999/Accepted: 20 December 1999     

Young social milieus and multimodality: interrelations of travel behaviours and psychographic characteristics

ABSTRACT

In many countries of the global North, since the 2010s, there have been discussions about young adults turning away from the tendency exclusively to use cars and moving towards more multimodal behaviours, i.e. the flexible use of several transport modes. A more differentiated perspective on the young generation based on the sociostructural criteria of social milieus is presented in this paper with an empirically founded dataset from the city of Dortmund (Germany). Social milieus aim to reflect both horizontal and vertical differentiations and inequalities within society. Drawing on this assumption, multimodal travel behaviours and corresponding psychological assessments of transport modes are analysed with regard to three contrasting young social milieus: i. precariat, ii. middle class, and iii. cosmopolitan milieu. Based on our observations of the three social milieus, the prevailing conceptualisation of young adults as a supposedly ‘homogeneous group’ of key drivers towards a multimodal society must be negated: i) The precariat is exposed to socioeconomic restrictions and limited in its free mode choice. ii) The middle class demonstrates signs of a (conservative) reproduction of car-oriented behaviour patterns. iii) Only the cosmopolitan milieu indicates a less emotional attachment to the private car and favours ‘green’ multimodal behaviours instead.     

Integration revisited

Much of the existing literature inmigration and integration research pays hardly any attention to the subjective view of the immigrants on their individual migration history and the links between prior life phases and the structural embedding of integration processes. This article aims at connecting objective data and subjective perspectives analysing the intersections between migrants?? perceptions of their individual ??migration project??, objective traces of their biographies and societal opportunity structures. The model, that we develop at the end of the paper summarises emerging hypotheses during the analysis and stresses the dynamic, contextual and interactional nature of integration processes. It is based on qualitative interviews with 30 immigrants from the two biggest guest-worker groups in Austria originally recruited during the 1960ies and 1970ies from Ex-Yugoslavia and Turkey.     

Mortality in Quebec during the nineteenth century: from the state to the cities

The aim of this paper is to explore mortality in Quebec during the nineteenth century from a demographic perspective. During the nineteenth century, there was excess urban mortality in various countries; in order to identify such mortality differentials, we compared mortality indicators for the province of Quebec and then for the urban areas of Montreal and Quebec City. Using data from various studies, we produced life tables and compared life expectancies. We show that at different times during the nineteenth century, spatial variations in mortality levels across the province of Quebec and its urban areas were significant. According to the data we analyzed, mortality is undoubtedly higher in urban areas even though a convergence in trends took place towards the end of the century, resulting in an overall reduction in mortality. Also, exploring life expectancies within a cohort approach at times of fast-changing mortality patterns has proved to be instructive. Life expectancy estimates based on a cross-sectional approach were systematically lower than those resulting from a cohort-specific one. Trends diverged to a greater extent beginning with the 1870 cohort, reflecting the improvements made from that point on to World War II. Since current mortality levels are substantially determined by the cumulative effects of past behaviour specific to each generation, it is quite obvious that mortality analysis will reveal its true meaning only with the help of cohort life tables.     

Population Dynamics and Tropical Deforestation: State of the Debate and Conceptual Challenges

What is the role of population in driving deforestation? This question was put forth as a discussion topic in the cyberseminar hosted by Population Environment Research Network (PERN) in Spring, 2003. Contributors from diverse backgrounds weighed in on the discussion, citing key factors in the population-deforestation nexus and suggesting further courses of action and research. Participants explored themes of their own choosing, with many coming to the forefront. Scale, time, and place-based effects were cited as areas in need of particular attention. Consumption patterns as the mechanism for spurring deforestation were discussed, drawing attention to the differential patterns associated with urban vs. rural demands on forest resources and land. The applicability of the IPAT formula and the influence of its component parts, affluence and technology, when operating in tandem with population, was debated. The relation of demographic factors to these pathways was critically examined. Institutional and governmental influence, such as infrastructure and policies affecting access and incentives, the valuation of resources, and institutional failures such as mismanagement and corruption emerged as a crucial set of factors. This article synthesizes the critical debates in the population-deforestation literature, makes suggestions for future paths of research, and discussed possible policy and direct action initiatives.     

Fertility Decline and Increased Manifestation of Sex Bias in India

This paper argues that expectations - the process of evaluating the chances for future attainment of valued goals in the home community (stay decision) vs. alternative locations (move decision) - along with family norms about migration are major predictors of intention to move, which in turn is a proximate determinant of migration behaviour. Utilizing longitudinal data from the 1992 and 1994 waves of the Thailand National Migration Survey, logistic regression models show that a strikingly different set of expectations, household demographic indicators, and migrant capital factors were significant determinants of migration intentions for men and women; reflecting Thai gender roles. Migration intentions, in turn, predicted more permanent, but not temporary, survival strategy migration behaviour, while low household income predicted temporary but not more permanent migration behaviour. The measure of perceived family migration norms was a powerful determinant of migration behaviour, but the size of migrant networks was not a statistically significant determinant of either migration intentions or behaviour.     

Measurement models of women’s autonomy using the 1998/1999 India DHS

Research concerning the relationship between female status and demographic behaviour has largely concluded that community level influences are most important, while status and autonomy at the individual level are far less so. This consensus, however, rests on an untested a priori typology of women’s status and tenuous assumptions about the measurement of defined status dimensions on the individual level. To better understand the potential influences of both community and individual elements it is necessary to take a step back and assess the validity of the constructs of autonomy used. This work uses a latent variable measurement modelling framework to test both the dimensionality of women’s status and the appropriateness of using simple additive index scaling in constructing measures of women’s status on the individual level using questions from the Demographic and Health Surveys status-of-women module in India for 1998/1999.     

Navigating midwifery solidarity: A feminist participatory action research framework

BackgroundA core aspect of midwifery philosophy is the optimisation of normal physiology; however, this has been challenged as a radical idea in the medicalisation of birth. Research has demonstrated the benefits of midwifery in improving outcomes for both mothers and babies. The understanding of midwifery benefits fails to reach wider sociocultural contexts as births becomes more medicalised. Midwifery research requires an action arm, to help translate theory to practice and mobilise midwives in solidarity with women towards action and change.AimThe aim of this article is to describe a Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) by establishing the philosophical underpinnings, theory and methodology with an exemplar.MethodsFPAR has two distinct yet intertwined parts, a research arm and an action arm. The study was conducted using FPAR, and collaboration with nine women, who led transformative action within their community. The exemplar details the use of the FPAR framework.FindingsA FPAR framework was developed through this research to guide researchers aiming to use the FPAR design. The framework details four steps: 1. Create, 2. Collaborate, 3. Consider, and 4. Change. The iterative FPAR cycles were shown in this study to centre women in the research and guide the community research group towards transformative action.ConclusionFPAR is shown in this project to assist midwifery researchers to realise solidarity and provides support for other midwifery researchers in applying feminist theory and participatory methodologies to bring about transformation within their research.     

Attitudes Towards Saving in Polish Society During Transformation

Since 1999 the complex reform of the old-age pension system was introduced in Poland and the process of changes is still ongoing. The multi-pillar system replaced the pay-as-you-go system. Voluntary third pillar will guarantee higher pensions for those that decide to save more. However, the systemic changes were placed in the new market economy just being implemented in Poland. New economic reality involves serial of processes influencing management of the current budget. On one hand the principles of market economy impose rigorous environment for management of the disposal income while on the other the dynamically developing market of goods, services and modern banking systems create pressure to spend. The evolution of pension system naturally poses questions concerning how the savings and saving behaviour are perceived in the Polish society during economic transformation. The results of survey conducted in the end of 2004 show that the precaution and life cycle motives of saving are observable in the Polish society but restrain seems to be marginal. In addition, attitudes towards saving are varied by some demographic and socio-economic features. These findings confirm statements referring to relation between the growth in material and social standards and acceptance of consumption style of life [i.e. Katona: 1975, Psychological Economics (Elsevier, New York); Lunt and Livingston: 1992, Mass Consumption and Personal Identity (Open University Press, Buckingham)]. Poles with higher social-economic position are rejecting self-restraint shifting towards consumerism. Nevertheless, common opinion of the respondents advocated savings is in contrary with declared avoiding restraint what is in line with other authors describing attitudes towards saving in conflict [Webley and Nyhus: 2001, Everyday representation of the Economy (WUV Universitätsverlag, Wien)].     

Demographic responses and demographic transitions: A case study of sweden

An important study by Friedlander investigated some of the effects of different demographic responses on national demographic transitions. England and Sweden were advanced as cases that approximated the suggested hypothetical models of transitions. His argument implied that the rural population of a country (in this case Sweden) experiencing mortality decline but little industrialization would reduce its fertility rates if out-migration from agricultural areas were not possible. This present study, using more complete data and better measures, concludes that this did not occur in Sweden—it did not conform to Friedlander’s hypothesized model. Because the potential implications of these findings could be profound and wide-ranging, there is a need for more studies of individual countries using better data and giving more careful attention to Davis’s theory on which the Friedlander hypothesis is based.     

Segregation and Fragmentation: Extending Landscape Ecology and Pattern Metrics Analysis to Spatial Demography

Though demography’s roots involve a strong spatial component, recent attention to capitalizing on widely available spatially referenced demographic data has returned the focus to spatially enabled analyses. Landscape ecology offers a theoretical framework and concomitant methodology in pattern metric analysis well suited for extracting process through the examination of spatial patterns. Applied on the environmental side of population–environment interaction research, pattern metric analysis has not been brought to bear on population data per se. This research illustrates the utility of a pattern metric approach utilizing U.S. Census data from 1990 and 2000 to document changes in spatial configuration of race and class in South Carolina. The results corroborate similar findings elsewhere of exurban growth as well as an increasing income gap and spread of Hispanic population, both statistically and spatially. Further insight into the forces related to these processes is gained from explicit assessment of spatial configuration. The method is offered as a complementary tool to the richly evolving field of spatial demography.