Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan
Encyclopedia
The Population Studies Center is one of the oldest demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
centers in the United States, with a distinguished record in both domestic and international population research and training.
Introduction and Activities
The University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
's Population Studies Center (PSC) was established in 1961, originally as a unit within the Department of Sociology. The Center has had close connections to the Department of Economics since 1966. The Center has become increasingly interdisciplinary over time, drawing faculty from Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
, Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, Public Health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, Public Policy, Social Work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, and Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
. The energy and intellectual curiosity of the Center's researchers, fostered by the strong support environment and leavened by their interaction with visitors and students at all levels, is a major source of Center momentum.
The PSC comprises independent population researchers who pursue their own agendas with the support of the PSC staff. A large portfolio of both domestic and international research is supported by the Center. The Center is strong in several key areas of demographic research, which can be grouped into several major areas: 1) Family Formation, Fertility, and Children; 2) Health, Disability, and Mortality; 3) Human Capital, Labor and Wealth; 4) Aging; 5) Population dynamics
Population dynamics
Population dynamics is the branch of life sciences that studies short-term and long-term changes in the size and age composition of populations, and the biological and environmental processes influencing those changes...
; 6) Group Disparities; 7) Ideational Factors; 8) Methodology; and 9) Regional Studies.
Recent Publications
Snow, Rachel C., Massy Mutumba, Gregory Powers, Lindsey Evans, Edith Rukundo, Lenard Abesiga, Joy Kabasindi, Tegan Ford, and Godfrey Mugyenyi. 2011. "The Impact of HIV on Fertility Aspirations in Uganda." PSC Research Report No. 11-740. May 2011Thornton, Arland, Georgina Binstock, Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, Dirgha Ghimire, Arjan Gjonca, Attila Melegh, Colter Mitchell, Yu Xie, Li-Shou Yang, Linda Young-DeMarco, and Kathryn Yount. 2010. "Knowledge and Beliefs of Ordinary People about Developmental Hierarchies." PSC Research Report No. 10-715. July 2010.
Knodel, John E., Nathalie Williams, Sovan Kiry Kim, Sina Puch, and Chanpen Saengtienchai. 2009. "Community Reaction to Older-Age Parental AIDS Caregivers and Their Families: Evidence from Cambodia." PSC Research Report No. 09-673. February 2009.
Frey, William H. "Race, Immigration and America’s Changing Electorate." PSC Research Report No. 08-635. April 2008.
Wu, Xiaogang. "Economic Transition, School Expansion, and Educational Inequality in China, 1990-2000." PSC Research Report No. 07-627. September 2007.
Organization and Administration
The Center made a major institutional move in July 1998, from the College of Literature, Science, and Arts into the Institute for Social Research (ISR). The merger into ISR facilitates close integration between the PSC's demographic research and the long tradition in survey methodology and major data collection projects at ISR. PSC becomes the fourth center in ISR, joining the Survey Research Center, the Center for Political Studies, and the Research Center for Group Dynamics.The Center provides administrative and support services to researchers through three core units: Administrative Services, Computing Services, and Information Services., The Administrative Core provides management and administrative support for Research Associates and their funded research projects. The Computing Core provides a state-of-the-art social science computing environment to support the Center's research and training missions. The Information Services Core provides resources and services in three broad areas. Data Services maintains a collection of demographic data files that are routinely used by Center researchers and assists in the acquisition, organization, and management of data for PSC research projects. Library Services maintains a collection of local holdings and assists researchers in collecting information from University libraries and in doing demographic library research using traditional and electronic resources. The Publications Office provides editorial services and disseminates research results through the production of working papers and reprinted articles.
Graduate and Postdoctoral Training
The Population Studies Center provides apprenticeship training and fellowship support to graduate students in Sociology, Economics, Public Health, and Anthropology who choose demography as a field of specialization. The goal of the graduate training program is to produce social scientists, fully trained in their discipline, with broad knowledge in population studies and specialized skills in statistical and demographic techniques, who can undertake independent research on a wide range of population topics. In the apprenticeship program student trainees gain practical research experience under the supervision of a professional staff member. The Center does not award graduate degrees. All graduate students associated with the Center are admitted into department Ph.D. programs and earn their degrees in those programs. The Center also provides postdoctoral training to demographic researchers in a variety of fields.PSC Financial Support
The PSC was established with funding from the Ford Foundation, and received continued support from the Ford Foundation for over 20 years. Since 1976 the Center has been supported by a population center grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentNational Institute of Child Health and Human Development
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , created by Congress in 1962, supports and conducts research on topics related to the health of children, adults, families, and populations...
(NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health. This center grant provides core infrastructure support for the Center's research activities. NICHD center grant support continues to be the major source of funding for the Center's cores. The Center also collaborates with the Survey Research Center of ISR in operating the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA), funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), also part of the National Institutes of Health. Additional support for PSC's international research and training activities is provided by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Center Directors
Pamela Smock, 2010-David Lam, 2008-2010
Arland Thornton
Arland Thornton
Arland Thornton is an American sociologist who specializes in the study of marriage and family. He was the director of the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan from 2004-2008. He received his bachelors degree from Brigham Young University, and his M.A. and Ph.D...
, 2004-2008
David Lam, 1994-2003
Babara Anderson, 1991-94
William M. Mason, 1988-90
Albert Hermalin, 1977-87
David Goldberg, 1972-76
Ronald Freedman
Ronald Freedman
Dr. Ronald Freedman was an international demographer and founder of the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan. He led pioneering survey research on fertility in Asia.Freedman was the recipient of many honors and awards over his career...
, 1962-71