PAA Affairs Blog

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The results of the 2024 presidential and congressional elections usher in a new era of uncertainty for not only our field, but also for the Federal scientific research and statistical agencies. We are committed to working with the new Administration and Congress to ensure they understand the critically important research and training population scientists conduct to not only advance the nation’s scientific enterprise, but also to improve the public’s health and wellbeing. Likewise, we will be communicating with you about the implications of changes that the new Administration and Congress may pursue. Your engagement and participation in the PAA ...
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PAA’s Executive Director, Danielle Staudt, has informed us she will be leaving PAA for a new role in mid-January 2025. She has accepted the Executive Director role at TESOL International Association, the association for professionals engaged in English language teaching. Danielle joined PAA in 2014 and her visionary leadership has been instrumental in driving the association’s success. She led the implementation of PAA’s first-ever strategic plan, guided us through the COVID-19 pandemic, and orchestrated the addition of new programs and services for a variety of membership segments. Her innovative approach has paved the way for ...
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Susan Cotts Watkins died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Santa Monica on August 26, 2024, at the age 85. Susan was an eminent demographer and sociologist and a leader in research on social networks, gender, fertility, and AIDS in Africa. She spent her professional life trying to unravel the mysteries of dramatic, widespread, and consequential changes in sex and death: first the historical declines in fertility in Europe and the U.S., then the global spread of fertility control, and finally the role of informal social networks in responses to the AIDS epidemic in Africa. She served as President of the Social Science History Association in 1993-4, Vice President ...

In Memoriam: Joe Potter

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On May 13th, the demographic community shared a profound loss when Professor Emeritus Joseph E. Potter passed away. Joe was an active member of the Population Association of America since he joined in 1974. He was an amazing mentor, chairing or co-chairing the dissertation committees for 27 UT doctoral students . Below, we share an obituary co-written by his former students and collaborators that was posted by the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population . Joe’s contributions have unfolded in two distinct stages: a first that spanned several decades of research in Latin America motivated by concerns about population and development; ...
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The PAA Committee on Publications invites applications for the position of Editor of Demography . The new Editor, or team of co-Editors, will begin work in May 2025 and will edit the 2026-2028 volumes of the journal. Applicants are asked to submit a CV and a proposal for editing Demography by November 30, 2024 . Proposals should specify plans for constituting a team of deputy editors, possible or confirmed support (course reduction, staff, space, equipment, etc.) from the applicant’s home institution, and a brief statement (1-2 pages) of editorial goals and philosophy. PAA typically provides financial support to the editor's institutional home. Funding ...
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Congratulations to the new PAA officers and board and committee members. Thank you to the members who voted in this election, and a huge thank you to all candidates who were willing to participate. All terms begin January 1, 2025, except for the Nominations Committee (terms begin immediately). President-elect Marcy Carlson, University of Wisconsin - Madison Vice President-elect Sarah Burgard, University of Michigan Board of Directors Martha Bailey, University of California, Los Angeles Feinian Chen, Johns Hopkins University Jeremy Freese, Stanford University Fernando Riosmena, University of Texas – San Antonio ...
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As we shared earlier this summer, PAA 2025 is scheduled for Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 13. This is a shift from our typical Wednesday – Saturday pattern and, most regrettably, conflicts with the beginning of Passover. This is a one-time anomaly due to the unforeseen closing of the original venue, Marriott Wardman Park, in late 2022. Our usual practice is to keep to the Wednesday – Saturday pattern and avoid spring religious holidays. For a more in-depth explanation, please read this previous post . We are making some changes to the PAA 2025 program to better facilitate participation for everyone: The Awards Ceremony will be held at the Welcome ...
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The Population Association of America (PAA) and Association of Population Centers (APC) are proud to cosponsor the 2024 Rally for Medical Research . This annual event, first held in 2013, brings together an array of representatives from the scientific research and patient advocacy communities to promote funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). On one impactful day, participants meet with Members of Congress and their staff to urge them to prioritize funding for the NIH and to raise awareness about the research that the agency supports. In a quote posed on the Rally website, PAA President Jennifer Glass stated, “Recognizing the connection between ...
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We want to make sure you are aware that PAA 2025 is scheduled for Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 13 . This is a shift from our typical Wednesday – Saturday pattern. This is a one-time anomaly, and future meetings are scheduled to follow the typical pattern. We also recognize that these dates conflict with the beginning of Passover. We do our best to avoid all the spring religious holidays when scheduling the PAA Annual Meeting, but it was not possible in these circumstances. We recognize that this may be a burden for some members and may prevent participation in the annual meeting. For that, we are deeply sorry. The PAA 2025 meeting was originally contracted ...
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Internal Migration And Socio-Economic Development: Implications and Development ; Quantum Discovery Literary Agency. Sandiego, CA, USA. Author Prabhakara Narasandra This book is about Internal migration and economic development. In recent years, several changes in India are likely to have impacted on the pattern and pace of migration. The pattern of growth in the last two decades has steadily widened the gap between agriculture and non-agriculture and between rural and urban areas, and it has steadily concentrated in a few areas and a few states. The growing spatial inequalities in economic opportunities must have necessarily also impacted on the ...
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The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Advisory Council met on June 3 to receive updates regarding the Institute’s research activities and to review grant applications slated for award. A major theme of this meeting was data science. Dr. Matthew Salganik and Dr. Kathy Edin, both from Princeton University, were invited to deliver “The Unpredictability of Life Outcomes: Evidence from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS).” Their remarks addressed the survey’s design and contents and how social scientists use FFCWS data to answer questions regarding the impact of familial, social, and ...
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“ Gender Inequality Reinforced: The Impact of a Child’s Health Shock on Parents’ Labor Market Trajectories ,” by Maria Vaalavuo, Henri Salokangas, and Ossi Tahvonen, has been named as a finalist for the Kanter Award . The award raises awareness of excellent work–family research, fosters debate about standards of excellence, identifies the “best of the best” studies on which to base future research, and outlines specific implications of the research for work–life and human resource professionals. Named in honor of Rosabeth Moss Kanter, who has been identified as the most influential contributor to modern literature on work ...
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Thanks to our membership in COSSA , we can provide you this update. Last month, the White House released a report promoting better use of social and behavioral science research in evidence-based policymaking across the federal government. This document places a long-overdue spotlight on the social and behavioral sciences and their utility in addressing some of the country's most pressing challenges. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking in May. The blueprint is the product of nearly two years of work by social ...
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Karen Klaber Oppenheim Mason died peacefully at home on April 11, 2024. Her son, David, and her husband of 30 years, John Sibert, were with her. She was 81 years old. Karen was PAA president in 1997. She received PAA’s Harriet Presser award in 2011 honoring her career-long contributions to the study of gender and demography. This professional recognition is matched by Karen’s leadership in breaking down institutional and informal barriers to women’s opportunities in academia and in “real” life. Karen drifted (her word) into demography. She attended Reed College on a scholarship. There she took classes in sociology from John Pock, who taught several cohorts ...
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The Nominations Committee is pleased to put forward the following slate for the 2024 PAA Election. The Nominations Committee includes Kara Joyner, University of Texas, San Antonio, Ellis Monk, Harvard University, and Zhenmei Zhang, Michigan State University. PAA members will receive a ballot in their e-mail inbox this summer. President (2 for 1 position) Marcia Carlson, University of Wisconsin – Madison Susan Short, Brown University Vice President (2 for 1 position) Sarah Burgard, University of Michigan Rob Warren, University of Minnesota Nominations Committee (6 for 3 positions) Jenifer Bratter, Rice University ...
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As you may know, Congress is in the early stages of negotiating the 12 appropriations bills that will fund all Federal agencies in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Rank and file members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate are currently identifying and communicating their funding priorities to the Appropriations Subcommittees in both chambers. The Dear Colleague letter is an important tool that members of Congress use to garner widespread support and deliver a united spending request on behalf of a Federal agency or program. The House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees that have jurisdiction over specific agencies and programs receive ...
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As many of you may already know, last week activist Christopher Rufo reported online that an “anonymous” plagiarism complaint against PAA member Christina Cross had been filed at Harvard. PAA repudiates the targeted bullying of junior scholars of color in academia. Strong statements of support by the P.I.’s of the PSID and the Journal of Marriage and Family (the data source and publication outlet of Cross’ research in the complaint) further repudiate the plagiarism claim, and are posted on our website . Please reach out to me or PAA staff if you observe similar complaints or targeted harassment of PAA members or their scholarship. We stand with you. Jennifer ...
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On March 5, the Population Association of America (PAA), in collaboration with the Association of Population Centers (APC), sponsored its 2024 Advocacy Day in which population scientists from 12 states conducted almost 60 meetings with key congressional staff. The delegation included Dr. Lisa Berkman, 2023 PAA President, and Dr. Jennie Brand 2024 APC President, and invited scientists from targeted states and congressional districts, including Texas, California, Alabama, Wisconsin, Louisiana and New York. The purpose of the meetings was to inform congressional offices about population research activities and advances that are directly and indirectly ...
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PAA is led by members who volunteer their time and expertise to guide the organization and meet the needs of our field. Let's take advantage of the diverse perspectives and expertise of our membership by nominating yourself or a colleague for a PAA leadership position. PAA Secretary-Treasurer Search is Open Michelle Frisco, our current Secretary-Treasurer, will end her term on June 30, 2024. PAA is seeking candidates to assume the office for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2024. A Secretary-Treasurer needs a good head for numbers, good organizational skills, and, most important, a willingness to serve as an officer of the PAA. The Secretary-Treasurer ...
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Moving within Border: Addressing the Potentials and Risks of Mass Migrations in Developing Countries This book highlights the attention that policymakers, activists, and the public should pay to internal migration. Although prominent research has analyzed particular types of internal migration, especially urbanization and internally displaced persons (IDPs), the narrow scope of existing studies cannot capture the overlaps of motivation and circumstances that pose serious policy dilemmas. The book is distinctive in examining the full range of modes and motives of internal migration: state-sponsored or unsponsored, coerced or voluntary, land-seeking or ...