Bali Ram - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Bali Ram

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Theoretical and Methodological Issues in Migration Research: Interdisciplinary, Intergenerational and International Perspectives

Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 2001

must now confront more complicated issues such as sex tourism and trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and a ho... more must now confront more complicated issues such as sex tourism and trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and a host of other environmental problems. The final chapter (Graham) examines the multidimensional character of human security and its economic, political, social, cultural and environmental expressions. It argues that because of globalization, nation-states have now become weaker and in many ways superfluous, with their borders becoming porous to emigration and immigration. Nonetheless, the new (human) security approach examined in this volume as a whole also begs the question of who defines its parameters and how these are to be applied. Is it the United Nations or some other transnational body? If so, how can individual states be motivated to adhere to these unconventional (and at times, unrealistic) parameters? Nevertheless, the theoretical frame as well as the empirical illustrations raised by this volume provide a useful understanding of the new security discourse that has emerged since the end of the Cold War and in the context of the highly charged and dynamic transnational movement of peoples.

Research paper thumbnail of Racially mixed neighborhoods, perceived neighborhood social cohesion, and adolescent health in Canada

Social Science & Medicine, 2007

Using data from the Canadian Census and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, w... more Using data from the Canadian Census and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, we examine the effects of neighborhood concentration of racial minorities on general health status and depressive symptoms of Canadian adolescents. We also examine the role of perceived neighborhood cohesion and the extent to which it contributes to adolescent health. Our findings show that the racial concentration of ethnic minorities represents a health disadvantage for visible minority youth while perceived neighborhood cohesion is found to be a protective factor for both health outcomes. Perceived neighborhood cohesion is beneficial for the general health status (but not depression) of adolescents residing in neighborhoods with a high concentration of racial minorities.

Research paper thumbnail of Health, Illness and Mortality in Less Developed Countries: Convergence, Divergence, and Stagnation

The ISA Handbook in Contemporary Sociology: Conflict, Competition, Cooperation, 2009

15 Health, Illness and Mortality in Less Developed Countries: Convergence, Divergence, and Stagna... more 15 Health, Illness and Mortality in Less Developed Countries: Convergence, Divergence, and Stagnation Bali Ram and Shefali S. Ram1 ... Sub-Saharan Africa, which historically has lagged behind most regions, has continued to expe-rience negative per capita economic growth ...

Research paper thumbnail of Mortality

Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of Maternal Age on Neonatal and Post-neonatal Mortality in India: Roles of Socioeconomic and Biodemographic Factors

Canadian Studies in Population

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic Differences in Educational Attainment among the Children of Canadian Immigrants

Canadian Journal of Sociology

Using the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this article examines the ethnic differences in universit... more Using the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this article examines the ethnic differences in university education attainment among the children of immigrants in Canada. We found that most groups achieve clear upward mobility across generations, while Blacks and Filipinos show signs of stagnation. Asians (with the exception of Filipinos) attain higher academic achievements than most groups of European origins even when accounting for group variations in family background, and social and ethnic capital. Parental education was important in explaining the relatively low university completion rates among the second generation Portuguese and Italians. Rural residence of the father’s generation was an important factor for the second generation Dutch and German youth, reflecting the different settlement patterns of these various groups. Our findings suggest that race/ethnicity has become a salient factor in educational stratification. Keywords: ethnicity, mobility, education, second generation, ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of Child’s Body Size at Birth on Infant and Child Mortality in India

Canadian Studies in Population

Research paper thumbnail of Societal Development, Familialism and Solo Living: A Cross-National Study

Journal of Comparative Family Studies

Research paper thumbnail of Sex Differences in the Effects of Family Structure on Children’s Aggressive Behavior

Journal of Comparative Family Studies

Research paper thumbnail of Fertility Decline and Family Change in India: A Demographic Perspective

Journal of Comparative Family Studies

The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between fertility decline and selected... more The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between fertility decline and selected patterns of the Indian family in the late 20th century. Much of the analysis presented in the study is based on secondary data collected and compiled by various organizations, including the three most recent National Family Health Surveys, 1990-92, 1998-99, and 2005-06. I find that since the mid-1970s, fertility decline in India has been impressive (falling from about 6 to 3 children per woman within an interval of 30 years). Its pace has slowed down in recent years and regional differences have remained largely unchanged. In 2003-05, the fertility rate varied from below replacement level for Goa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and four southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) to about four children per woman for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. In general, most Indian couples–even in low fertility states–have more children than they would like. The two-child family is the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Birth Order, Stage of Infancy and Infant Mortality in India

Journal of biosocial science, Jan 2, 2017

Using data from India's National Family Health Survey, 2005-06 (NFHS-3), this article examine... more Using data from India's National Family Health Survey, 2005-06 (NFHS-3), this article examines the patterns of relationship between birth order and infant mortality. The analysis controls for a number of variables, including mother's characteristics such as age at the time of survey, current place of residence (urban/rural), years of schooling, religion, caste, and child's sex and birth weight. A modest J-shaped relationship between birth order of children and their risk of dying in the neonatal period is found, suggesting that although both first- and last-born children are at a significantly greater risk of dying compared with those in the middle, last-borns (i.e. fourth and higher order births) are at the worst risk. However, in the post-neonatal period first-borns are not as vulnerable, but the risk increases steadily with the addition of successive births and last-borns are at much greater risk, even worse than those in the neonatal period. Although the strength of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Industrialisation and Sex Segregation in the Labour Market: A Cross-National Study

Research paper thumbnail of Does It Pay to Migrate? The Canadian Evidence

Canadian Studies in Population

An analysis of the 1991 and 1996 Census data indicated that on average people who moved out of ec... more An analysis of the 1991 and 1996 Census data indicated that on average people who moved out of economically less affluent provinces showed higher incomes than those who were left behind. However, persons who moved out of wealthier provinces did not do as well as those who stayed. In fact, their incomes were lower than non-migrants. According to the 1996 Census, for example, the age-education adjusted income of migrants from Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia was about 10 to 13% lower than non-migrants in those provinces, whereas the corresponding income was about 7 to 13% higher for migrants from Atlantic Provinces. Similarly, people who moved into economically less resourceful provinces had higher incomes than non-migrants, while inmigrants into affluent provinces did worse than those who stayed in those provinces.

Research paper thumbnail of Current Issues in Family Demography: Canadian Examples

Canadian Studies in Population

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction to the Special Issue Low Fertility in Comparative Perspective

Canadian Studies in Population

Introduction to the Special Issue Low Fertility in Comparative Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of New Estimates of Aboriginal Fertility, 1966-1971 to 1996-2001

Canadian Studies in Population

Using census data on children in families, this paper estimates various fertility measures for th... more Using census data on children in families, this paper estimates various fertility measures for the total aboriginal population and four specific groups, North American Indians, Registered Indians, Metis, and Inuit. The “own-children” procedure is used for deriving the number of births by the age of the mother during specific years preceding the census. The major focus of the paper is on the trends of total fertility rate and the convergence of age patterns between various subgroups over the past 30 years. Strengths and limitations of the method are also discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Fertility decline and social change: new trends and challenges

Canadian Studies in Population

This article presents an overview of recent fertility declines and their effects on social change... more This article presents an overview of recent fertility declines and their effects on social change in both industrialized and industrializing countries. The focus is primarily on the levels and age patterns of fertility, which influence social change through three major mechanisms, reductions in population growth, modifications in age structure, and changes in family structure. Some future prospects are also discussed, especially in the view of the viability of immigration as a solution to population stability, graying of the industrialized world, intergenerational support, and loneliness.

Research paper thumbnail of The persistent caste divide in India’s infant mortality: A study of Dalits (ex-untouchables), Adivasis (indigenous peoples), Other Backward Classes, and forward castes

Canadian Studies in Population

Using data from two national surveys, this paper examines caste differences in infant mortality i... more Using data from two national surveys, this paper examines caste differences in infant mortality in India. We find that children from the three lower caste groups—Dalits (ex-untouchables), Adivasis (indigenous peoples), and Other Backward Classes—are significantly more likely than forward-caste children to die young. While this observation largely mirrors caste differences in socioeconomic conditions, low socioeconomic status is found to be only a partial explanation for higher infant mortality among lower castes. Higher mortality risks among backward-class children are almost entirely attributable to background characteristics. However, Dalit children are most vulnerable in the neonatal period even when all background characteristics are taken into account, whereas Adivasi children remain highly vulnerable in the post-neonatal period.Au moyen des données provenant des deux enquêtes nationales, cet article examine les différences dans la mortalité infantile par caste en Inde. Nous co...

Research paper thumbnail of 7. Internal Migration of Immigrants

Research paper thumbnail of Stability of unions and fertility in Barbados

Biodemography and Social Biology, 1973

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Theoretical and Methodological Issues in Migration Research: Interdisciplinary, Intergenerational and International Perspectives

Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 2001

must now confront more complicated issues such as sex tourism and trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and a ho... more must now confront more complicated issues such as sex tourism and trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and a host of other environmental problems. The final chapter (Graham) examines the multidimensional character of human security and its economic, political, social, cultural and environmental expressions. It argues that because of globalization, nation-states have now become weaker and in many ways superfluous, with their borders becoming porous to emigration and immigration. Nonetheless, the new (human) security approach examined in this volume as a whole also begs the question of who defines its parameters and how these are to be applied. Is it the United Nations or some other transnational body? If so, how can individual states be motivated to adhere to these unconventional (and at times, unrealistic) parameters? Nevertheless, the theoretical frame as well as the empirical illustrations raised by this volume provide a useful understanding of the new security discourse that has emerged since the end of the Cold War and in the context of the highly charged and dynamic transnational movement of peoples.

Research paper thumbnail of Racially mixed neighborhoods, perceived neighborhood social cohesion, and adolescent health in Canada

Social Science & Medicine, 2007

Using data from the Canadian Census and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, w... more Using data from the Canadian Census and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, we examine the effects of neighborhood concentration of racial minorities on general health status and depressive symptoms of Canadian adolescents. We also examine the role of perceived neighborhood cohesion and the extent to which it contributes to adolescent health. Our findings show that the racial concentration of ethnic minorities represents a health disadvantage for visible minority youth while perceived neighborhood cohesion is found to be a protective factor for both health outcomes. Perceived neighborhood cohesion is beneficial for the general health status (but not depression) of adolescents residing in neighborhoods with a high concentration of racial minorities.

Research paper thumbnail of Health, Illness and Mortality in Less Developed Countries: Convergence, Divergence, and Stagnation

The ISA Handbook in Contemporary Sociology: Conflict, Competition, Cooperation, 2009

15 Health, Illness and Mortality in Less Developed Countries: Convergence, Divergence, and Stagna... more 15 Health, Illness and Mortality in Less Developed Countries: Convergence, Divergence, and Stagnation Bali Ram and Shefali S. Ram1 ... Sub-Saharan Africa, which historically has lagged behind most regions, has continued to expe-rience negative per capita economic growth ...

Research paper thumbnail of Mortality

Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of Maternal Age on Neonatal and Post-neonatal Mortality in India: Roles of Socioeconomic and Biodemographic Factors

Canadian Studies in Population

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic Differences in Educational Attainment among the Children of Canadian Immigrants

Canadian Journal of Sociology

Using the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this article examines the ethnic differences in universit... more Using the 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this article examines the ethnic differences in university education attainment among the children of immigrants in Canada. We found that most groups achieve clear upward mobility across generations, while Blacks and Filipinos show signs of stagnation. Asians (with the exception of Filipinos) attain higher academic achievements than most groups of European origins even when accounting for group variations in family background, and social and ethnic capital. Parental education was important in explaining the relatively low university completion rates among the second generation Portuguese and Italians. Rural residence of the father’s generation was an important factor for the second generation Dutch and German youth, reflecting the different settlement patterns of these various groups. Our findings suggest that race/ethnicity has become a salient factor in educational stratification. Keywords: ethnicity, mobility, education, second generation, ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of Child’s Body Size at Birth on Infant and Child Mortality in India

Canadian Studies in Population

Research paper thumbnail of Societal Development, Familialism and Solo Living: A Cross-National Study

Journal of Comparative Family Studies

Research paper thumbnail of Sex Differences in the Effects of Family Structure on Children’s Aggressive Behavior

Journal of Comparative Family Studies

Research paper thumbnail of Fertility Decline and Family Change in India: A Demographic Perspective

Journal of Comparative Family Studies

The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between fertility decline and selected... more The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between fertility decline and selected patterns of the Indian family in the late 20th century. Much of the analysis presented in the study is based on secondary data collected and compiled by various organizations, including the three most recent National Family Health Surveys, 1990-92, 1998-99, and 2005-06. I find that since the mid-1970s, fertility decline in India has been impressive (falling from about 6 to 3 children per woman within an interval of 30 years). Its pace has slowed down in recent years and regional differences have remained largely unchanged. In 2003-05, the fertility rate varied from below replacement level for Goa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and four southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) to about four children per woman for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. In general, most Indian couples–even in low fertility states–have more children than they would like. The two-child family is the ...

Research paper thumbnail of Birth Order, Stage of Infancy and Infant Mortality in India

Journal of biosocial science, Jan 2, 2017

Using data from India's National Family Health Survey, 2005-06 (NFHS-3), this article examine... more Using data from India's National Family Health Survey, 2005-06 (NFHS-3), this article examines the patterns of relationship between birth order and infant mortality. The analysis controls for a number of variables, including mother's characteristics such as age at the time of survey, current place of residence (urban/rural), years of schooling, religion, caste, and child's sex and birth weight. A modest J-shaped relationship between birth order of children and their risk of dying in the neonatal period is found, suggesting that although both first- and last-born children are at a significantly greater risk of dying compared with those in the middle, last-borns (i.e. fourth and higher order births) are at the worst risk. However, in the post-neonatal period first-borns are not as vulnerable, but the risk increases steadily with the addition of successive births and last-borns are at much greater risk, even worse than those in the neonatal period. Although the strength of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Industrialisation and Sex Segregation in the Labour Market: A Cross-National Study

Research paper thumbnail of Does It Pay to Migrate? The Canadian Evidence

Canadian Studies in Population

An analysis of the 1991 and 1996 Census data indicated that on average people who moved out of ec... more An analysis of the 1991 and 1996 Census data indicated that on average people who moved out of economically less affluent provinces showed higher incomes than those who were left behind. However, persons who moved out of wealthier provinces did not do as well as those who stayed. In fact, their incomes were lower than non-migrants. According to the 1996 Census, for example, the age-education adjusted income of migrants from Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia was about 10 to 13% lower than non-migrants in those provinces, whereas the corresponding income was about 7 to 13% higher for migrants from Atlantic Provinces. Similarly, people who moved into economically less resourceful provinces had higher incomes than non-migrants, while inmigrants into affluent provinces did worse than those who stayed in those provinces.

Research paper thumbnail of Current Issues in Family Demography: Canadian Examples

Canadian Studies in Population

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction to the Special Issue Low Fertility in Comparative Perspective

Canadian Studies in Population

Introduction to the Special Issue Low Fertility in Comparative Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of New Estimates of Aboriginal Fertility, 1966-1971 to 1996-2001

Canadian Studies in Population

Using census data on children in families, this paper estimates various fertility measures for th... more Using census data on children in families, this paper estimates various fertility measures for the total aboriginal population and four specific groups, North American Indians, Registered Indians, Metis, and Inuit. The “own-children” procedure is used for deriving the number of births by the age of the mother during specific years preceding the census. The major focus of the paper is on the trends of total fertility rate and the convergence of age patterns between various subgroups over the past 30 years. Strengths and limitations of the method are also discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Fertility decline and social change: new trends and challenges

Canadian Studies in Population

This article presents an overview of recent fertility declines and their effects on social change... more This article presents an overview of recent fertility declines and their effects on social change in both industrialized and industrializing countries. The focus is primarily on the levels and age patterns of fertility, which influence social change through three major mechanisms, reductions in population growth, modifications in age structure, and changes in family structure. Some future prospects are also discussed, especially in the view of the viability of immigration as a solution to population stability, graying of the industrialized world, intergenerational support, and loneliness.

Research paper thumbnail of The persistent caste divide in India’s infant mortality: A study of Dalits (ex-untouchables), Adivasis (indigenous peoples), Other Backward Classes, and forward castes

Canadian Studies in Population

Using data from two national surveys, this paper examines caste differences in infant mortality i... more Using data from two national surveys, this paper examines caste differences in infant mortality in India. We find that children from the three lower caste groups—Dalits (ex-untouchables), Adivasis (indigenous peoples), and Other Backward Classes—are significantly more likely than forward-caste children to die young. While this observation largely mirrors caste differences in socioeconomic conditions, low socioeconomic status is found to be only a partial explanation for higher infant mortality among lower castes. Higher mortality risks among backward-class children are almost entirely attributable to background characteristics. However, Dalit children are most vulnerable in the neonatal period even when all background characteristics are taken into account, whereas Adivasi children remain highly vulnerable in the post-neonatal period.Au moyen des données provenant des deux enquêtes nationales, cet article examine les différences dans la mortalité infantile par caste en Inde. Nous co...

Research paper thumbnail of 7. Internal Migration of Immigrants

Research paper thumbnail of Stability of unions and fertility in Barbados

Biodemography and Social Biology, 1973