Alphonse MacDonald - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Alphonse MacDonald

Demographic Research, 2007

The Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) is one of the two pillars of the Generations and Gender P... more The Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) is one of the two pillars of the Generations and Gender Programme designed to improve understanding of demographic and social development and of the factors that influence these developments. This article describes how the theoretical perspectives applied in the survey, the survey design and the questionnaire are related to this objective. The key features of the survey include panel design, multidisciplinarity, comparability, context-sensitivity, inter-generational and gender relationships. The survey applies the life course approach, focussing on the processes of childbearing, partnership dynamics, home leaving, and retiring. The selection of topics for data collection mainly follows the criterion of theoretically grounded relevance to explaining one or more of the mentioned processes. A large portion of the survey deals with economic aspects of life, such as economic activity, income, and economic well-being; a comparably large section is devoted to values and attitudes. Other domains covered by the survey include gender relationships, household composition and housing, residential mobility, social networks and private transfers, education, health, and public transfers. The third chapter of the article describes the motivations for their inclusion. The GGS questionnaire is designed for a face-to-face interview. It includes the core that each participating country needs to implement in full, and four optional sub-modules on nationality and ethnicity, on previous partners, on intentions of breaking up, and on housing, respectively. The participating countries are encouraged to include also the optional sub-modules to facilitate comparative research on these topics. 4. ORGANIZATION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE.

The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice, 2019

MacDonald explores the census as a major source of data to inform governments about the size, dis... more MacDonald explores the census as a major source of data to inform governments about the size, distribution and socio-demographic structure of their populations. Providing some historical background, he explains the significance of every country undertaking a national census every ten years by counting every person in the country with reference to a specific day and time. MacDonald describes the procedures census offices use to undertake a census and how they collect, analyse and disseminate data. He explains that, while the census informs planning and resource allocation in all sectors, it is particularly useful in providing the denominator for many health-related indices. MacDonald demonstrates how linking census data with routine administrative health data can support the equitable or rational establishment of health facilities.

ABSTRACT The Generations and Gender Survey (GGS), one of the two pillars of the Generations and G... more ABSTRACT The Generations and Gender Survey (GGS), one of the two pillars of the Generations and Gender Programme (GGP), is designed to improve understanding of demographic and social development and of the factors that influence these ...

OECD Development Centre Working Papers, 2004

Cette série de documents de travail a pour but de diffuser rapidement auprès des spécialistes dan... more Cette série de documents de travail a pour but de diffuser rapidement auprès des spécialistes dans les domaines concernés les résultats des travaux de recherche du Centre de Développement. Ces documents ne sont disponibles que dans leur langue originale, anglais ou français ; un résumé du document est rédigé dans l'autre langue.

Statistical Journal of the IAOS, 2016

At the invitation of the University of Minnesota Population Center (MPC) the author carried out a... more At the invitation of the University of Minnesota Population Center (MPC) the author carried out an assessment of the IPUMS International integrated census microdata programme during January-March 2016. The terms of reference included the assessment of the measures taken by the MPC to safe guard the security of the microdata, the quality and adequacy of services provided, characteristics of users and satisfaction with IPUMS, use of available microdata, support to participating developing country National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and adequacy of a proposed Remote Data Center (RDC). The conclusions of the review are that IPUMS International is a unique, flexible, successful and secure programme for managing access to anonymized, harmonised and integrated microdata to academic users and policy makers. While currently the user base is predominantly in developed countries, steps are being taken to expand usage by researchers worldwide. The physical, methodological and technical arrangements for safeguarding the security and confidentiality of the data files are excellent; the possibilities of breaches are minimal. Data users have very positive opinions of the quality of the data, scope of services and expertise of staff but desire more detailed, up-to-date microdata. NSOs rate IPUMS International and its services positively but request advanced methodological training for staff and regular information on the use of their country's data. IPUMS International planned activities are presented and their contributions to census methodology are highlighted.

Demographic Research, 2007

Demographic Research a free, expedited, online journal of peer-reviewed research and commentary i... more Demographic Research a free, expedited, online journal of peer-reviewed research and commentary in the population sciences published by the

Descriptive fertility preference data from 19 countries participating in the World Fertility Surv... more Descriptive fertility preference data from 19 countries participating in the World Fertility Survey (WFS) are compared. The expected positive correlation between total number of children desired and number of living children was found for all countries though the strength of the association varied markedly. The mean total number of children desired was between 3.5 and 4.5 in most countries; it is substantially lower among younger women among women with few children and among recently married women but the lower means among these groups may not represent a true decline in fertility preferences. When the number of living children is controlled there is only negligible variation in the mean total number of children desired between younger and older women. A carefully documented and controlled time series of comparisons of desired family size for as many countries as possible is needed in order to assess the direction of preferences over time. Results for 14 countries with data on the w...

Statistical Journal of the IAOS, Mar 27, 2020

For millennia the census has been an instrument of public administration; it was used in a wide v... more For millennia the census has been an instrument of public administration; it was used in a wide variety of formats counting different populations in different scientific disciplines. Over time a standard format emerged based on the scientific method; the population and housing census was formalised in the second half of the 19th century. Its function was the enumeration of every individual in the population of a specific geographical area at specific time, through direct contact of the households to obtain information about each household member. Practically parallel another administrative instrument was developed: the register, an officially sanctioned list of objects or events. Throughout time these two administrative instruments with complementary functions have contributed to the management of society. Since the second half of the 20th century the sample survey became another source of statistical information. At the same time some countries started to redesign their statistical organisation favouring registers and replacing the census, with a system of combined registers and sample surveys. Proponents of this approach indicate that this procedure has no theoretical basis and that there are methodological challenges with its implementation. This paper will review these developments and make a call for a science-wide review.

This publication contains papers presented at the European Population Forum 2004, held in Geneva ... more This publication contains papers presented at the European Population Forum 2004, held in Geneva in January 2004, under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP). The Forum discussed a range of issues organised under four key themes: global population and development trends from a European perspective; childbearing and parenting in low-fertility countries; morbidity, mortality and reproductive health challenges in transition economies; international migration and ways of promoting management and integration.

A discussion using case study material and interviews is presented of the Chinese famine which oc... more A discussion using case study material and interviews is presented of the Chinese famine which occurred between 1958 and 1962 and resulted in the deaths of at least 30 million people. An analysis considers the influence of Mao Zedong, and the policies which were ...

Population and Development Review, Mar 1, 1997

A critical review of a book on China's famine in the late 1950s and early 1960.

The Generations and Gender Survey (GGS), one of the two pillars of the Generations and Gender Pro... more The Generations and Gender Survey (GGS), one of the two pillars of the Generations and Gender Programme (GGP), is designed to improve understanding of demographic and social development and of the factors that influence these developments. Such understanding can form the basis for devising policies that respond to the demographic changes and population development. This article describes how the theoretical perspectives applied in the survey, the survey design and the survey questionnaire are related to this objective. The key features of the survey include panel design, multidisciplinarity, comparability, context sensitivity, and intergenerational and gender relationships. The survey applies the life-course approach, focusing on the processes of childbearing, partnership dynamics, home-leaving and retirement. The selection of topics for data collection mainly follows the criterion of theoretically grounded relevance to explaining one or more of the mentioned processes. The article's third chapter describes the motivations for their inclusion. The GGS questionnaire is designed for a face-to-face interview. It includes a core that each participating country is expected to implement in full, and four optional submodules on nationality and ethnicity, previous partners, intentions of breaking up, and housing. Participating countries are encouraged also to include the optional submodules, to facilitate comparative research on these topics.

Demographic Research, 2007

The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice, 2019

OECD Development Centre Working Papers, 2004

Statistical Journal of the IAOS, 2016

Demographic Research, 2007

Statistical Journal of the IAOS, Mar 27, 2020

Population and Development Review, Mar 1, 1997

A critical review of a book on China's famine in the late 1950s and early 1960.

A review of 13 sample surveys on refugees populations since 2000 in Australia, Africa, Europe, La... more A review of 13 sample surveys on refugees populations since 2000 in Australia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and the USA. Covering the type of study, sample type and size, methodology used, and main findings.