Book Description
In recent years, demography has expanded the reach of problemsit confronts, constantly developing the range of methodological tools itemploys and illuminating the latest demographic issues. The third editionof Demography features up-to-date information on the study of the causes ofchanges in size and composition and the effects of these population trends.Like its highly regarded predecessor, this expanded third edition iswritten in a reader-friendly style, featuring a wealth of newly enhancedgraphics, examples, exercises, and data. Its international focus offersupdated, substantive discussion of long-term trends and projections, alongwith newly emerging topics of interest to demographers. End-of-chapterexercises and propositions for debate bring demography alive for readersand emphasize demography's relevance and importance in the twenty-firstcentury. ... Read more

Book Description
This book examines why the crude birth rates in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden are declining, and why the European crude death rates are increasing. This book focuses on how decomposition methods can be used to analyze the problems of confounding com ... Read more

Book Description
Like the original two-volume work, this work attempts to present a systematic and comprehensive exposition, with illustrations, of the methods used by technicians and research workers in dealing with demographic data. The book is concerned with how data on population are gathered, classified, and treated to produce tabulations and various summarizing measures that reveal the significant aspects of the composition and dynamics of populations. It sets forth the sources, limitations, underlying definitions, and bases of classification, as well as the techniques and methods that have been developed for summarizing and analyzing the data. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Go buy a copy
This new edition of a standard reference is most welcome and long overdue.Generally sound and providing the high quality expected, with several new topics covered very well. Special mention should be made of the very useful additional material on health issues. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the chapter on race and ethnicity which is already well out of date, focuses on US material on race and provides very little by way of useful or factual information on ethnicity. The information about international practices seriously thin and is badly flawed, despite some valuable comments which seem to have sneaked in.Why on earth for such a central reference work did the editorial board not find an ethnicist to co-author this chapter at the very least - this chapter is a sad and jumbled disappointment with little understanding of the topic and it misses entirely key issues and concepts such as ethnic mobility and the role of paternity effects. A quick look through the reference list for the chapter reveals the source of this lack of depth and lack of discussion of key issues - the primary research is nowhere to be seen and it depends far too heavily and uncritically on official US census publications.The appendix on GIS is welcome but is already also starting to date, as would be expected for such a fast moving area. Despite these short-comings, still a most welcome book and tremendous value for the price.Well bound and well printed, and the editors need to be complimented on a very high quality publication.

Way too hard for the third grade!
My teacher used this book in third grade science.It was way too hard!This book might be good for grown-up people in college, but please... it's too hard for the third grade.

A new version of the "Bible" of Demography
I remember the early days where I used to go through the old book "The Methods and Materials of Demography" while studying at the Cairo Demographic Center in the early 90s of last century. The new version is an innovative and invaluable addition to the fundamental books in the field. I highly recommend this book for all demographers worldwide.

REVIEW OF THE 2ND EDITION
Another review displayed here refers to the 1st edition, which was published in 1976. This review covers the 2nd edition, which was published in March 2004. The 2nd Edition by J. Siegel and D. A. Swanson is hardbound and has around 850 pages. The price ($89.00) is unbelievably low for such a comprehensive and well-written book. It is filled with references and examples andprovides updates on data sources while covering the many advances in methods and technology that have occurred since the publication of the first edition. This book can be used both in the classroom and by practitioners. Besides covering and updating everything that was in the 1st edition, it adds new chapters, appendices, and a cross-referenced comprehensive glossary. The 2nd edition by Siegel and Swanson is a worthy successor to the 1st edition by H. Shryock, J. Siegel, and E. Stockwell and is a mandatory book for anybody interested in demography.

A REVIEW OF THE 2nd EDITION
The other review displayed here for the Methods and Material of Demography refers to the 1st edition, published in 1976. This review covers the 2nd edition released in March 2004. The 2nd Edition by Siegel and Swanson is, indeed, the bible of demography. Filled with references and examples, it provides updates on data sources while covering the many advances in methods and technology that have occurred since the publication of the first edition. This book is well-crafted and can be used both in the classroom and by practictioners. Besides covering everything that was in the 1st edition, it adds new chapters and appendices (e.g., health demography and GIS) and provides an excellent cross-referenced glossary as well as a demography timeline. The 2nd edition is a worthy successor to the first edition and is a must-have book for anybody interested in demography. ... Read more

Book Description
In both developed and developing countries, the elderly have enjoyed significant declines in mortality and increased survival. At the same time, these trends have also given rise to many uncertainties and demands on resources which are often not given their due attention. Future mortality declines, particularly among the elderly, are often overshadowed by fears of their increasing share of the total population and the demands that this places on society to resolve the problems stemming from longer survival - problems, for example, which are not just a question of guaranteeing longer life but also of ensuring an acceptable health status. In recent years, there has been a substantial literature on many facets of the daily lives of the elderly. This volume is a further contribution to the literature, pinpointing the most recent trends in the survival of the elderly and in their physical and mental health. It also describes possible scenarios for the early decades of the twenty-first century. To delineate current knowledge with regard to the health and survival of the elderly is a first step towards preparing projections and improving the efficacy of health policies for the elderly. The first section of this volume is dedicated to a discussion about the age at which people become `elderly' and to the application of evolutionary theory to demographic models of human mortality. The second section looks in more detail at different aspects of morbidity and mortality trends and their underlying causes. The third section deals with mortality projections, ranging from the hypotheses to problems of methodology. The fourth section covers social and health strategies to improve the survival and quality of life of the elderly, in view of the fact that more and more people may expect to live longer and longer, and perhaps in increasingly better health. ... Read more

Book Description
This unique and well-researched study takes a systematic look at the incredible rise in the life expectancy of the population of Albania, one of the world's poorest countries. Through a careful analysis of newly available archive documents and statistics, Gjonca examines the social, economic, and political factors behind the success of improving life expectancy at birth from 51 to 71 years in a relatively short period of time and despite extreme poverty and strict isolationist governmental policies. The research, based on data obtained primarily from the Albanian State Archives, which opened in 1994, attempts to explain why the Albanian pattern of mortality, with very high infant and child mortality and very low adult mortality, is so different from that of other East European countries with similar social and economic conditions. Using many tables, figures, and other data to illustrate the trends, the author concludes that lifestyle factors, and to a lesser extent government policies directed at health care, are the most likely determinants of Albania's successful mortality transition. In his attempt to shed new light on the phenomena of Albania's remarkable success in shifting patterns of mortality, the author compares the changes with those experienced by other similar countries in an effort to determine whether the Albanian success was part of an overall improvement among countries that have "good health at low cost" or if the Albanian way is a novel route to low mortality in developing countries. To support his conclusion that Albania's success largely depended on lifestyle, he carefully examines the changes in disease and infection, dietary patterns and lifestyle, education and urbanization, fertility levels, and regional differences. By providing a brief but detailed background of the country itself, and its policies and programs to promote lower mortality, Gjonca offers readers an interesting portrait of the transitions that have taken place in this poorest of countries. ... Read more