This book highlights historical and current perspectives on population issues in the Bengali-speaking states of India (i.e., West Bengal, Tripura, Assam) and Bangladesh and explores three core population dynamics: fertility, mortalitymorbidity and development. Furthermore, it presents a selection of revealing cases from area-specific micro-studies, mainly conducted in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The book covers various demographic and health issues in these two regions, which are similar in terms of several sociocultural aspects, yet dissimilar in terms of their policies and programs. Adopting an integrated approach that combines various disciplines and perspectives, it explores highly topical issues such as social inequality, religious difference and mental health. The book is intended for a broad readership interested in population studies, sociology and development, including academics, researchers, planners and policymakers.

Includes revealing cases based on area-specific micro-studies, mainly conducted in West Bengal and Bangladesh Gathers contributions by respected scholars from India and Bangladesh Intended for a broad audience, from geographers, sociologists and demographers to social workers and policymakers

Autorentext

Aparajita Chattopadhyay is currently associated with the International Institute for Population Sciences as an Associate Professor in the area of Development Studies where she has invested significant time in academic research and post graduate teaching for close to two decades. An area expert in human geography and demography, Chattopadhyay has also served at the Banaras Hindu University as a faculty with the department of Geography for a brief period. Her teaching and research career includes a portfolio of wide ranging research projects and peer-reviewed academic publications. She has been a recipient of numerous medals, awards and grants for demographic and population related academic achievements and researches from reputed Universities and organizations including the likes of the University of Calcutta, International Institute for Population Sciences, Indian Association for the Study of Population, University of Karachi, University of Harvard, RAND corporation USA to highlight a few. She handled different research projects funded by the Government of India, UNICEF etc. Her area of academic and research interests includes Gender issues, Environment and development, Nutrition, Aging and Public Health. Saswata Ghosh is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK). He completed his Ph.D. in Population Studies from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 2006. He obtained Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship from the Asia Research Centre of London School of Economics (LSE) during 2014-15. He also received International Fellowship for Young Bio-Medical Scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) during 2012-13. He served as a Visiting Fellow at the LSE and at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). He worked with Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA), Doha; Centre for Health Policy (CHP), ADRI, Patna; Population Council and Council for Social Development, New Delhi in various capacities. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals of international standing. His areas of interest include religious demography; fertility, family planning and son preference; family demography; field survey methods; demographic estimations; and econometric methods.

Inhalt

1. Demography of Bengal from a Historical Perspective.- 2. Explaining fertility decline in Greater Bengal: A spatial approach to testing the diffusion hypothesis.- 3. Contraceptive behavior among Bengalese: Pattern, preferences and practicality.- 4. Case Study: Acceptability, uptake and safety of postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device in a tertiary care hospital in eastern India.- 5. Case Study: Wombs for Money: Commercial Surrogacy through Kolkata's Window.- 6. Case Study: Infertility Treatment in Kolkata: A qualitative Study.- 7. Socio-economic determinants of infant and child mortality: A study of Bengali speaking community in eastern India and Bangladesh.- 8. Decomposing areas in infant mortality: Treatment vs. Comparison in Matlab, Bangladesh <p