Employment problems under declining population growth rates and structural change: the case of Yugoslavia

The case of Yugoslavia since World War 2 generally confirms the find ings of Coale and Hoover some 15 years ago that a declining population gives a developing society a chance to grow at a more rapid rate because less of the gross national product is devoted to merely maintaining the status quo. However, until recently insufficient attention was paid to the long-term effects of rapid population growth plus underdevelopment, namely, surplus labor and unemployment. Yugoslavia is currently suffereing the aftereffects of a history of labor surplus caused by high birthrates, especially in the southern Moslem regions. The birthrate was as high as 35/1000 until 1927, took a downward turn during the depression, falling to 26/1000 in 1939, became even more depressed during World War 2, then reached 26-30/1000 in the postwar years. After 1957 a steady decline set in. The rate was around 18/1000 in the early 1970s. Because of the underdeveloped, highly agrarian economy, Yugoslavia has traditionally been a source of abundant labor and emigration. Statistical data has been either nonexistent or unreliable, but there have been self-evident differences in the size of individual cohorts which have had definite bearing on the working-age population. Following World War 2 the country changed from a predominantly peasant, subsistence economy to an industrial socialist society. There has been a steady decline in the participation rate in the work force, from an estimated 46.5% in 1948 to 43.3% in 1971, primarily due to increased education, declining child labor, and greater retirement among older workers. However, the growth of the working-age group was faster than that of the total population because of the high postwar birthrates. Th ere was significant increase in employment from 1,517,000 in 1948 to 4,034,000 in 1971. At the same time the agricultural labor force decrea sed from 70% of total employment to 48%. Despite the industrial growth, in 1971 there were over 290,000 unemployed persons, some 600,000 underemployed in agriculture, and another 700,000 temporarily employed abroad. Together these figures represent almost 1/3 of total employment in the socialist sector. The Yugoslav experience demonstrates the magnitude of employment problems in a developing society and the time needed to solve them.     

Discussion of paper 'explanations of the fertility crisis in modern societies: a search for commonalities', Population Studies 57(3): 241-263, by John Caldwell and Thomas Schindlmayr

The contributors to this discussion were invited to submit comments, each from a different standpoint, on the paper by John Caldwell and Thomas Schindlmayr that appeared in the preceding issue of the journal. The invitation was issued with the approval of these authors, and the journal is grateful to them for allowing their paper to be used to generate debate on the issues they had raised. The discussion is followed by the authors' response to it.     

Population policies in socialist countries of Europe

Abstract The emergence, in the mid-sixties, of policies aimed at counteracting rapid fertility decline in some socialist countries of Europe is discussed in the paper. Following a summary of recent population trends and policies in nine European socialist countries, and brief comments on ideological and theoretical considerations, factors relevant to policy decision are discussed. Population policies aiming at encouraging fertility exist in five countries, viz. German Demographic Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Recent developments appear to include attempts to stimulate third births with measures aiming to improve economic conditions of large families, the status of women, education and restriction of induced abortion.     

Vacuum erection device in treatment of organic erectile dysfunction and penile vascular differences between patients with DM type I and DM type II

The aim of this study is to investigate changes in the vascular system and hemodynamics between patients with organic erectile dysfunction (ED) (DM type I and II), as well as to compare the quality of sexual life between those two groups after the treatment with vacuum erection device (VED). Study enrolled 50 males with DM, aged from 35 to 67 years, who have attended the urologic clinic due to inability to attain and maintain an erection of the penis sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse. Patients were using VED and six months later were assessed for therapy results. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) was used to quantify erectile dysfunction. Alprostadil injection test was also used, with Doppler color flow imaging system, to evaluate the peak systolic velocity (PSV) and diameter of cavernosal artery (DCA). Significantly higher values of PSV were obtained in patients with DM type II. Also, DCA showed significant difference between two groups of patients. There was significant improvement in three items of IIEF after six months of treatment among both groups of examinees. Patients with DM type I had more serious risk for development of arteriogenic ED. VED could be a good alternative therapy for patients who denied peroral therapy.