PAA is a non-profit, scientific, professional organization that promotes research on population issues.
Government Affairs
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Congressional Activities

Briefings:

May 7, 2013 – Coalition for National Science Funding Exhibition 2013

April 25, 2013 -  PAA member, Dr. Elizabeth Frankenberg (on right) waiting her turn to speak at congressional briefing sponsored by the House Research and Development Caucus. Also pictured (left to right) Dr. Howard Silver, Executive Director, Consortium of Social Science Associations, and Congressman Rush Holt (NJ)

February 1, 2013 – PAA Briefing on Capitol Hill: Immigration and the  Foreign-Born Workforce in the United States

October 24, 2012 – Juliane Baron and Mary Jo Hoeksema joined other members of the Coalition for Health Funding for Congressional visits to ask Members to act now – in a balanced approach – to stop sequestration

July 16, 2012 – Dr. Elizabeth Cooksey represents PAA and APC at congressional reception celebrating 50 years of research at the NICHD

April 19 Webinar – How Are Children Faring? What the New Supplemental Poverty Measure Tells Us

What do we know about children living in poverty in the U.S.? And what programs and policies are succeeding in lifting them out of poverty? Find out in this informative webinar hosted by the Population Association of America.

The U.S. Census Bureau released the long-awaited Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) last November. Designed to complement the official U.S. poverty measure (first published in 1964), the SPM provides policymakers and researchers with a more complete and accurate picture of poverty in America, including in-kind benefits received, necessary expenses (like child and health care), changing family structures, geographic differences and more.

In 2010, the official poverty measure recorded 46.6 million people in poverty, whereas the SPM reflected 49.1 million in poverty — indicating more people are living in poverty. Interestingly, however, poverty rates for children under 18 are lower with the SPM.

Our speakers will compared the SPM and the official poverty measure, showed what these measures reveal about poor children, and explained how the SPM can better evaluate the impact of federal programs and policies designed to reduce poverty.

  • Dr. David S. Johnson, Chief, Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau; Visiting Scholar, Russell Sage Foundation – presentation
  • Dr. Timothy Smeeding, Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs and Economics, University of Wisconsin- Madison; Director, Institute for Research on Poverty – presentation
  •  Dr. Jane Waldfogel, Compton Foundation Centennial Professor of Social Work for the Prevention of Children’s and Youth Problems and Professor of Public Affairs, Columbia University; Visiting Professor, London School of Economics – presentation

Capital Hill Visits

On March 26 and 27, a delegation of 11 selected PAA and APC members visited 45 Capitol Hill offices.
The delegation also met with the Chief Statistician at OMB and a Division Director at NSF Social, Behavioral and Economic Division.

The delegation communicated PAA and APC support for funding for federal agencies supporting demographic research and key population data sets. These meetings will help to protect the agencies and data sets that PAA and APC members depend on to conduct research critical to inform policy.

December 13 Webinar – Balancing Employment with Child and Elder Care: The Implications of Changing Workplaces and Families

In 1960, when only a quarter of married mothers were in the labor force, mothers typically managed the care of their children. Today, with 70 percent of married mothers working, both parents must balance the needs of the children with responsibilities at work. At the same time, our aging population has increased elder care demands on working families.

What do we know about the impact of this balancing act on quality of care and workforce productivity?

In this important webinar, national experts discussed how the U.S. workforce and family have changed in recent decades and how these changes are affecting the ability of workers to manage career and family care responsibilities.

The presenters:

The Demographics of Disasters: Informing Recovery Decisions

Disasters like the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan and the flooding and tornadoes across the southern U.S. take lives and devastate communities every year. Long after the media moves on to the next topic, recovery efforts continue—often for many years. What do we know about the affected individuals and communities? How do assistance programs use data to understand a community’s short- and long-term recovery needs?

Speakers discussed how disasters impact the size, make-up, and well-being of affected individuals and communities.

Mr. Russ Paulsen, Executive Director for Hurricane Recovery at the American Red Cross, explained how relief organizations use data to assess recovery needs.

Dr. Elizabeth Frankenberg from Duke University presented her findings on the aftermath of the Sumatra tsunami. Presentation

Dr. Mark VanLandingham from Tulane University discussed his research on recovery after Hurricane Katrina. Presentation

Video of the Briefing
Event Photos
Invitation to Demography of Disasters, Congressional Briefing

PAA and APC participate in the 17th Annual CNSF Capitol Hill Poster Session

Congressional Research Service Seminar

On July 12, 2010, the Population Association of America (PAA) sponsored a seminar, “The Long-Term Implications of Recession and Recovery,” in conjunction with the Domestic Social Policy (DSP) Division at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). This was the second in a series of seminars PAA is sponsoring for the CRS. CRS is a department of the Library of Congress that provides authoritative, non-partisan, and objective information to members of Congress and their staffs.

The seminar featured two former PAA presidents, Dr. Greg Duncan and Dr. Kathleen Mullan Harris. Dr. Duncan, of the University of California at Irvine, discussed findings from his research, using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, showing how economic hardships in childhood influence earnings over the life course. Dr. Harris, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, presented data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, illustrating how the recession affects young adults transitioning to higher education or the workforce. Mr. Gene Falk, Specialist in Social Legislation, DSP, CRS, provided commentary, highlighting how the research findings relate to current debates about policies affecting needy families, children, and youth.    Over 50 analysts from DSP, as well as other CRS divisions, attended the seminar. Their questions addressed the application of the findings and the underlying surveys. For example, there were several questions about the respondents’ demographics and the surveys’ definitions. The analysts also asked Dr. Duncan and Dr. Harris’ for their opinions on how certain policy changes, such as health insurance reform, could impact young adults and children affected by the current recession. Funding for the seminar series is available from the PAA Development Campaign.

Photos from the Event

Recession and Recovery:  How are Americans Affected?

A weak economy touches almost every American family.  While headlines suggest the country is recovering slowly from the most recent economic crisis, it is important to understand the short and long-term consequences of economic recessions.  The Population Association of America invited a panel of distinguished researchers to present their findings, demonstrating how economic downturns affect the most vulnerable U.S. populations:  children, young adults, and older Americans.

Dr. Greg Duncan, University of California – Irvine, discussed his findings, based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, showing how economic hardships in childhood influence earnings over the life course.
The Long Reach of Early Childhood Poverty

Dr. Kathleen Mullan Harris, University of North Carolina presented data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, illustrating how the current economic downturn affects young adults transitioning to higher education or the workforce.
Impact of Recession on Young Adults

Dr. Michael Hurd, RAND Corporation shared his findings from the RAND American Life Panel and the Health and Retirement Study, to explain how elderly Americans have fared during the current economic crisis.
Effects of the Recession on American Households

Dr. Matthew Stagner, University of Chicago moderated the event.

Detailed summary of the briefing

Hot Times in the City: The Impact of Climate Change in an Increasingly Urban World – April 9, 2010

A worldwide trend toward urban population growth suggests that the threat posed by climate change to populations living in cities warrants particular attention by policy makers, scientists and the environmental community. As the Senate continues to grapple with the many issues surrounding the climate change debate, PAA brought attention to an aspect of the issue that is often overlooked — the impact that shifts in the population, particularly growth in urban areas, may have on the environment. On April 9, 2010 three national experts made the following presentations:

Additional photos from the event.

The Health and Retirement Study – December 9, 2009

Summary of PAA Workshop

Demographics and the Future of Transportation Policy

The United States is experiencing dramatic demographics changes that are reshaping our nation and redefining our needs. Our senior population is projected to grow by 36 percent from 2010 to 2020. Members of minority groups are expected to constitute a majority of the population by 2042. In addition, U.S. household size continues to decrease and is projected to fall below 2.5 by 2020. To prepare for these changes, we need a visionary transportation bill that provides all Americans with options while reflecting the shifting composition of our population. On June 8, 2009 three speakers looked at the implications of demographic changes on our transportation system and asked what we can do to make the best decisions as Congress discusses the next transportation bill.

Speakers

Africa’s Future: Improving the Health of Mothers and Children – June 5, 2009

Every year, 265,000 mothers die in childbirth and 4.5 million children die before the age of 5 from preventable causes in sub-Saharan Africa. To discuss these stark facts and the benefits of family planning programs for the health of mothers and children, three researchers were part of a congressional briefing on June 5, 2009.

CNSF Exhibition 2009 – March 24, 2009

Dr. Narayan Sastry represented PAA and APC at the 15th Annual Coalition for National Science Funding Capitol Exhibition in Washington, DC. The purpose of the event was to educate members of Congress, congressional staff and other federal employees about the breadth and significance of scientific research supported by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Sastry presented his work on the Panel of Income Dynamics, a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of U.S. households that began in 1968, with an original sample of 4,800 families. The PSID collects a broad array of economic, social, health, housing, family demographics and changes, aging, child development, employment and education.

More information about the CNSF exhibit is available at http://www.cnsfweb.org/.

The Ailing Economy: How Do Census Data Help? – February 23, 2009

Most U.S. economic surveys and indicators are grounded in data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau. Without these data sources, which include the decennial census, American Community Survey, Current Population Survey and others, it would be impossible to identify and interpret key economic trends.  At a briefing co-sponsored by PAA and APC co-sponsored on February 23.  Dr. Linda Jacobsen, Dr. Joseph Salvo, Dr. Pelletiere and Dr. Naymark  discussed how they use census data, for example, to allocate programmatic funds, make marketing and investment decisions, and analyze developments in the U.S. housing market.

CNSF Exhibition 2008

Dr. Duncan Thomas represented PAA and APC at the 14th Annual Coalition for National Science Funding Capitol Exhibition in Washington, DC. The purpose of the event was to educate members of Congress, congressional staff and other federal employees about the breadth and significance of scientific research supported by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Thomas presented his work on the social and economic effects of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, focusing on the population in Sumatra, Indonesia. His work has important implications for understanding the diagnosis and duration of post-traumatic stress reactivity.

More information about the CNSF exhibit is available at http://www.cnsfweb.org/.

Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective

CNSF Exhibition 2007

June 26, 2007 — PAA and APC sponsored Dr. Lingxin Hao,
Johns Hopkins University, to present her work for the 13th annual CSNF exhibition. View Dr. Hao’s presentation.

Immigration and Child Health Policy: Implications for SCHIP Reauthorization — April 20, 2007

Changing Demographics of the Middle East: How Policies and Programs Affect Stability in the Region

Power Point Presentations from February 2007 Briefing: