The book that follows is an experiment in the teaching of population theory and analysis. A sequence of problems where each is a self-contained puzzle, and the successful solution of each which puts the student in a position to tackle the next, is a means of securing the active participation of the learner and so the mastery of a technical subject. How far our questions are the exciting puzzles at which we aimed, and how far the sequence constitutes a rounded course in demography, must be left to the user to judge. One test of a good problem is whether a solution, that may take hours of cogitation, is immediately recognizable once it comes to mind. While algebraic manipulation is required throughout, we have tried to emphasize problems in which there is some substantive point-a conclusion regarding population that can be put into words. Our title, Demography Through Problems, reflects our intention of leading the reader who will actively commit him-or herself through a sequence that will not only teach definitions-in itself a trivial matter-but sharpen intuition on the way that populations behave.

Autorentext

Kenneth Wachter is Professor of Demography and Statistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Former chair of the Committee on Population of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, his work spans the range of mathematical demography and biodemography. Books include "Height, Health, and History" and "Between Zeus and the Salmon". Hervé Le Bras holds appointments at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences and the National Institute for Demographic Studies in Paris. Along with contributions to mathematical demography and historical sociology, he is known for books such as "L'invention de la France", "Marianne et les lapins", "La planète au village", and "The Nature of Demography".

Inhalt
I Populations That Are Not Age-Dependent.- II The Life Table.- III Uses of Stable Theory.- IV Births and Deaths Under Stability.- V Projection and Forecasting.- VI Stochastic Population Models.- Brief List of References.