The main objective of this thesis is to define the population structure of Shahrestan Nowshahr, Iran, by determining whether the population comprises one large, panmictic unit or small, localized breeding clusters, and the extent to which the pattern of mobility affects this structure. This study has been carried out by quantifying the nature and extent of migration within and from outside the study area. The components of analysis have included the past and. present demographic structure, the distribution and localization of dialects and languages, the spatial (matrimonial) and temporal (parent and offspring) continuity of gene flow, the orientation of movement, the extent of commonality of surnames and the pattern of relatedness and kinship within and among the subdivisions. The results have been used to assess the extent to which genetic mobility has been determined by geographic, demographic, linguistic and cultural constraints placed on the breeding size of the population. The consequences upon the genetic structure of the population in terms of departure from random mating and panmixia and the potential for genetic differentiation through local, selective pressures and random genetic drift have also been projected. Inferences from these analyses Indicate that the interaction of these factors have influenced and determined the migration pattern and the extent of the reproductive isolation of the Shahrestan. Shahrestan Nowshahr is not a homogeneous unit, but is composed of a series of local, partially isolated units with little genetic flow between them, thus limiting the size of the population, contributing to deviation from panmixia and conducive to random differentiation of local gene frequencies. The temporal increase in the range of movement indicates the breaking down of isolation, due to an overall change in the demographic, cultural and socio-economic structure of the population, providing greater possibilities for admixture and genetic homogeneity.

The outstanding characteristics of the population geography of the Sudan are seen in its vastness of the area, its low population density, its high population fertility, decreasing mortality rates and uneven distribution of developmental projects among its regions. All these have important effects upon the economic and de mographic characteristics of its population. They also underline the uneven distribution of the country's population, as a result of which large-scale migration movements occur. Three types of population movements in the Sudan are discussed; inter-provincial movements, rural-urban migration and seasonal migration for cotton picking in the Gezira scheme. In the discussion of the first type, the analysis covers issues related to the general levels of movements amongst the 18 provinces of the country, rates of in- and out-migration in each province and their net migration balances. Also, it discusses the spatial structure of the movement, and some gaining and losing provinces are singled out. The impacts of the movements and their selective nature are also revealed. Rural-urban migration to the capital city of Khartoum is studied using the 1983 census data, other published data and the author's 1988/89 survey of migrant households in the city. The scale of the migration and the characteristics of the migrants are analyzed. Additionally, the structure of the migrant households, literacy, occupation contrasts and links with the village are investigated. The reasons behind the migration decision and the reward of the rural-urban migration are also shown. Seasonal migration is discussed to disclose the nature of the movement and its patterns which are associated with the cotton picking operation in the Gezira scheme. The types of labour involved and labour market conditions are also investigated. The findings verified the seasonality of the movement to the scheme and the consistent relationship between migrants and tenants in the scheme.

No description available.

In this study, changes in the social and economic structure of a Northern Thai community are analysed in terms of demographic change. Although primarily an empirical study, it is hoped also to contribute to two associated theoretical problems. The first concerns the relationship between economic and demographic change in the process of social evolution. It is argued that rather than one or other variable being 'independent', such changes are a result of complex interaction between the variables over time. The second stems from the debate on the nature of Northern Thai social structure. Here the value of incorporating an analysis of demographic change in an anthropological study is exemplified by the evidence that apparent inconsistencies and contradictions found in the literature on communities in Northern Thailand can be explained to a large extent by an examination of their individual demographic histories. Fieldwork was conducted in Ban Pong Village in Chiengmai Province of Northern Thailand between 1972 and 1974. Following settlement of the village in the 1880s, the valley was gradually cleared for irrigated rice cultivation by a slowly growing population of migrants. Dominance by a minority of the population of the important local trade in fermented tea in the 1920s and 1930s at a time when land resources in the valley were almost exhausted and economic conditions had forced a number of farmers to sell their land, opened the way to the extreme economic polarization found in the community today. The problems facing the community have been compounded by the rapid growth of population occurring since the early 195os, which is largely the result of a decline in infant mortality. A family planning programme introduced to Ban Pong in 1967 provoked an immediate response, and within two years over 40% of fertile married women were using a modern method of birth control. The concomitant changes in marriage and residence patterns are considered in relation to population growth and fertility control.

In 1983 the Jamaican Parliament officially endorsed a National Population Policy which made the island the first in the Caribbean region to formulate such a policy. The Population Policy defined Jamaica's accelerating population as a negative constraint on the country's national development. One of the aims therefore, of the Policy was the introduction of replacement fertility i.e. a two child family. This was stipulated as a prerequisite to limit Jamaica's population growth. In an effort to disseminate the message of the two child family three mass media campaigns were conducted in the nineteen eighties. This thesis examines the efficacy of this replacement fertility campaign strategy in Jamaica's national development. The campaign's efficacy will be examined on the basis of its conceptualisation and implementation. This thesis constructs the argument that firstly, the conceptualisation of the media campaign was based on academically discredited views and assumptions on the role of the media in development. This position is substantiated in two ways. Firstly, through a semiotic analysis of the advertising campaign which revealed the implicit level of expectations concerning the campaign as well as the media's role in development. Secondly, through interviews with campaign planners and policy makers which disclosed the explicit expectations regarding the media and the campaign's function in development. It is argued that the ideological nature of the campaign's mythic structure, deciphered through the semiotic analysis, implies a role for the media in development which is consistent with the views of communication scholars who were advocates of the currently discredited Modernisation based model of communication in national development. An analysis of interviews with the campaign planners and policymakers demonstrates that their expressed views on the role of the media in development are identifiable with assumptions on this role inherent in the Modernisation paradigm. The thesis argues secondly, that the misinformed criteria and expectations directing the campaign are further reinforced by several features of the campaign design and implementation. It is shown that certain principles and practices of campaign design such as audience research, pretesting and interpersonal communication, which are academically proven ingredients of successful campaigns, were neglected in the campaign's construction. This calls into question the integrity of the campaign as a mechanism of social intervention. Further challenges to the campaign's efficacy are raised by findings from a social survey among the target group. This survey sought to assess the audience's view on the two child family; patterns of mass media use; sources of information on family planning; the credibility of these sources compared with the credibility of the media; contraceptive use and information needs on contraception.

No description available.

No description available.