Population aging: a comparison among industrialized countries

Reproduced with permission from Health Affairs, © 2000     

Policy with respect to aliens and migration research in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1973-1983

The development of policy concerning aliens in the Federal Republic of Germany is described for the period 1973 to 1983. Consideration is given to policy at both the federal and state levels and to policy differences among the main political parties. The author also describes current research on the migration of workers in Germany, including what policymakers hope to get from such research, the main problems in the areas on which research is focused, how researchers view the demand for and current state of research, and what has been the theoretical output from such research.     

Counting people in the data revolution era: challenges and opportunities for population censuses*

Changes in technology, society and individual behaviours are having impressive effects on data production and use. Social networks, sensors and data infrastructure are generating a massive amount of new data (big data, big corpora, linked data, open data, etc.) that are readily available for the analysis of societies. Official statistics too is starting to pay attention to these unofficial data sources, to the aim of using them within the production processes. Despite the potentials of new data for statistical production, so far we can depict two main effects on official statistics, and especially on population censuses. First of all, there is the digitalization of data construction through both new instruments (e.g. web questionnaires) and new means of collection (e.g. tablets). Furthermore, the integration and the scaling-up of data archives is ongoing. This transition from the traditional ‘door-to-door’ census to new census methods, which make an higher use of technology, is not only a technical result, but it reflects the extent to which digital data are changing the routines of production of statistics and their use to gain social knowledge.     

Urbanization and economic development in Burma

"Since British colonial rule in Burma [Myanmar], urban centres have emerged and grown. This has continued with independence in 1948. Urbanization has proceeded apace, first primarily because of rural-urban migration and then mainly because of natural growth in cities and towns, leading to a host of urban problems exacerbated by an ailing economy which has not permitted adequate levels of investment in, and development of, urban infrastructure. This article examines these issues in urbanization and economic development and concludes that long-term solutions to these problems can only be arrived at if population growth and urbanization are given sufficient attention in economic policies which must, necessarily, seek to restructure the economy. The urban future of Burma, otherwise, remains bleak."     

Fighting in the Dark: Ideology and State Formation in Post‐Colonial Burma

Extant major approaches to states and revolutions privilege the role of state practices and the character of war‐making in shaping modern state‐making in the Third World. Bringing the role of ideology into this analytical landscape of state‐making, this paper advances an alternative claim that ideological practices shape modern state structures and practices as well as the dynamics of political contention between the state and the revolutions. First, I argue that that intra‐movement ideological dynamics within the nationalist movement can have a profound impact on the structure and practices of the state. Using the writings of the party leaders, memoirs and official publications of the Burmese communist party, I maintain that subtle and specific ideological differences amongst the Burmese leftist movements generated organizational splits and internecine conflicts in the nationalist struggle, which exerted profound influences on the structures and practices of the Burmese state Secondly, relative ideological positions of the state and the revolutionary movements play an important role in shaping the dynamics of contention between the state and revolution. For example, an intimate web of ideological affinity between the nascent Burmese state and the Burmese leftist movements shaped the context and content of political contention between the state and these movements in the post‐colonial Burma. To address these issues empirically, the first part of the paper examines the formation and cementation of organizational linkages amongst Burmese leftist nationalists during the anti‐colonial struggle. The second part of the paper addresses specific and subtle ways in which ideological character and practices of the Burmese state and the Burmese Communist party shaped state practices and state structures in modern Burma as well as the dynamics of political contention between the state and the revolutionary movements.     

Producing public goods in networks: Some effects of social comparison and endogenous network change

As actors participate in the production of public goods, processes of social comparison may affect the decisions about the individual contributions as well as the endogenously changing structure of an underlying social network. This leads to the transformation of an ordinary n-player Prisoner's Dilemma of collective action into an n-player coordination game. The paper uses agent-based simulations to trace the formation of public goods while varying network characteristics, such as density, segregation, or the strength of relationships. Additionally, the usage of both a forward- and a backward-looking agent model shows possible implications of different assumptions about the actors’ decision making.     

Gonococcal Perihepatitis: Diagnosis and Management in a College Population

Abstract

Although gonococcal perihepatitis is not a common clinical problem, it should be in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with right upper quadrant pain and a subsequent positive gonorrhea culture. With the increasing incidence of venereal disease, more cases of gonococcal perihepatitis are anticipated, and an awareness of its protean manifestations should be known and considered by all health care providers. This is especially true for physicians treating college students, as the sequelae of pelvic infection can be severe tissue injury to the reproductive organs with resultant involuntary infertility.

This paper presents three cases of diagnosed gonococcal perihepatitis in a college population with a complete literature review of this disease entity.     

Creating a Crisis:German Mass Media andOil Supply in 1973-74

In the winter of 1973-74, the German Federal Republic importedmore oil than in any other year before or since. Nevertheless,the mass media were warning that an energy crisis might occur.Thereupon the population became nervous andbought more crudeoil products than ever before. As a consequence, short-termdifficulties of supply from industrial producers seemed to confirmthe warnings.     

Burmese Indians in contemporary Burma: heritage,influence, and perceptions since 1988

This article seeks to explore the current role, significance and influence of Burmese Indian minorities in post-1988 Burma as well as the perceptions the Burmese indigenous society and elite have developed on them since the colonial era. British Burma (1826–1948) witnessed a massive immigration of Indian communities that disproportionately dominated Burma's colonial enterprise. A strong resentment thus arose among the Burman Buddhist majority, illustrated by the rise of a popular ‘indophobia’ phenomenon. Paroxysmal expressions of the colonial original trauma were observed through recurrent pre-independence anti-Indian riots as well as a specific and enduring linguistic patronizing classification of the ‘Kalas’ by the Burmese language. Nationalistic administrative laws, enacted by the Burmese post-independence parliamentarian and military governments, furthered the downgrading and discrimination of Burmese Indians who remain however a visible minority today, with a manifest economic weight and a strong socio-cultural presence throughout Burma. In this paper, it will, however, be argued that after years of ‘Burmanization’ processes, Burmese old-age ‘indophobic’ sentiments have turned towards more ‘islamophobic’ tendencies, now explicitly targeting the Muslim communities of Indian origin, but that it remains difficult to evaluate their impact on Burma's current policymaking.     

Population Migration and Urbanization in China: A Comparative Analysis of the 1990 Population Census and the 1995 National One Percent Sample Population Survey

This article examines the changing pattern of population migration and its implications for the urbanization process in China as revealed by the 1990 Population Census and the 1995 National One Percent Sample Population Survey. It is found that, in comparison with the period 1985–90, migration in the period 1990–95 tended to be more distance sensitive, reflecting the increase in the number of migration foci resulting from the policy of opening on all fronts. Foreign investment also appears to have a greater effect on migration flow. Proportionately, there was an increase in both village‐to‐village and city‐to‐city migrations. The former was most sensitive to increase in distance while the latter was least sensitive. As for rural‐to‐urban flows, which include both village‐to‐town and village‐to‐city flows, migrants in China increasingly bypassed the towns and ended up in the cities.     

Oral Sex: Varied Behaviors and Perceptions in a College Population

Views and behaviors pertaining to oral sex have changed in recent years. This anonymous, online survey posed both old and new questions pertaining to oral sex among a college population. This study not only confirmed previous findings about virgins engaging in oral sex but also found that women reported giving oral sex more often than receiving it from men. Oral sex was not only perceived as less intimate than intercourse but also more likely to be perceived as less intimate by women than men. Participants most frequently endorsed a committed relationship, but not a married relationship, for comfort in engaging in oral sex. Last, college students were more knowledgeable of the sexually transmitted infection risks of oral sex than how to actually protect themselves during oral sex. Additional analyses by gender and virginity were also performed to further understanding of the nuances amongst virgins and women and men.