|
Volume 62, №. 1, March 2007
Population: A Lively Introduction. 5th Edition
by Joseph A. McFalls Jr.
In the newest edition of "Population: A Lively
Introduction," McFalls introduces the basics of population
studies in a way that everyone can understand. He explains how to
calculate the total fertility rate (TFR)-the average number of children
a woman will have given current birth rates-but also reviews the
social and biological factors that affect when women have children
and how many they will have. Cultural attitudes-for example, about
when young people can engage in sex, whether to use birth control,
how long to breastfeed a baby, and when women should or should not
have babies-affect the TFR.
Likewise, the study of mortality is more lively and less certain
than it would seem. More and more people are living past age 100,
but we don't know what the upper limit to human life might be. No
one has lived beyond 122 years and five months, as far as we know.
And McFalls explains how the 2004 average life expectancy doesn't
apply to any one person, because the chances of dying from any one
thing change over a lifetime. Just as HIV/AIDS took the world by
surprise as it devastated certain population groups and some entire
countries, we might see unexpected medical breakthroughs that protect
against HIV and slow aging.
McFalls discusses migration-the third big demographic variable-as
well as key variables such as age structure that determine population
size and change. He illustrates the relationship between slow population
growth and aging, between immigration and ethnic composition, and
he surveys the basic theories of population growth and change.
Updated with recent data, this new edition serves as a demography
primer for anyone interested in the topic, which, according to McFalls,
includes everyone.
http://www.prb.org/pdf07/62.1LivelyIntroduction.pdf
Volume 62, №. 2, June 2007
Challenges and Opportunities-The Population of the Middle
East and North Africa
by Farzaneh Roudi-Fahimi and Mary Mederios Kent
The countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
continue to fascinate and concern the rest of the world. With two-thirds
of the world's known petroleum reserves, the region's economic and
political importance far outweighs its population size. Yet, its
demographic trends-especially the rapidly growing youth population-are
beginning to attract notice as well. In 2007, the MENA region has
about 432 million people, making it one of the least populous world
regions (see figure). But rapid population growth rates-second only
to sub-Saharan Africa-caused MENA's population to quadruple since
1950, and will propel its total to 700 million by 2050, exceeding
the population of Europe in that year. This continuing growth is
complicating the region's capacity to adapt to social change, economic
strains, and sometimes wrenching political transformations.
http://www.prb.org/pdf07/62.2MENA.pdf
Volume 62, №. 3, August 2007
World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's
2007 World Population Data Sheet
by Population Reference Bureau staff
http://www.prb.org/pdf07/62.3Highlights.pdf
Volume 62, №. 4, December 2007
Immigration and America's Black Population
by Mary Mederios Kent
New flows of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean
are a growing component of the U.S. population. They are part of
the racial and ethnic transformation of the United States in the
21st century. Although far outnumbered by nonblack Hispanic and
Asian immigrants, the number of black immigrants is growing at a
remarkable rate. More than one-fourth of the black population in
New York, Boston, and Miami is foreign-born. Immigration contributed
at least one-fifth of the growth in the U.S. black population between
2001 and 2006.
This Population Bulletin looks at black immigrants to the United
States-what countries they are coming from, which states and metro
areas they are living in, and what factors affected their entry
into the United States.
http://www.prb.org/pdf07/62.4immigration.pdf
|
