Preston S H
Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19174.
Demography. 1993 Nov;30(4):593-606.
This paper considers the scope of demography and the various research approaches that legitimately could claim the label. As a small field lacking security in academic structures, demography has been unusually sensitive to demand factors, including those associated with perceived population problems. International health is cited as an area of increased demographic presence; reasons for this development are explored. The technology for performing research in demography is improving more rapidly than in many other areas of the social sciences, and thus is helping to improve the relative standing of the field. Taking a demand-oriented approach, the paper identifies several promising research areas in which demographers will be called on to address issues of national and international concern.
本文探讨了人口统计学的范畴以及各种合理地能够冠以该标签的研究方法。作为一个在学术架构中缺乏稳固地位的小领域，人口统计学对需求因素异常敏感，包括那些与人们所察觉到的人口问题相关的因素。国际卫生领域被视为人口统计学影响力增强的一个领域；本文探究了这一发展的原因。人口统计学领域开展研究的技术比社会科学的许多其他领域发展得更快，因而有助于提升该领域的相对地位。本文采用以需求为导向的方法，确定了几个有前景的研究领域，人口统计学家将被要求在这些领域解决国家和国际层面关切的问题。
