Michel Oris | Université de Genève (original) (raw)

Papers by Michel Oris

... and Population. A Comparison of Societies in Asia and Europe, Muriel Neven and Catherine Capr... more ... and Population. A Comparison of Societies in Asia and Europe, Muriel Neven and Catherine Capron (eds.), Liège, Laboratoire de Démographie. Alter, George ... 23-25. Alter, George, Manfredini, Matteo, Nystedt, Paul et al. (in preparation ...

ABSTRACT Eastern Belgium provides a range of examples of early industrialization. In the nineteen... more ABSTRACT Eastern Belgium provides a range of examples of early industrialization. In the nineteenth century, well-established proto-industrial textile and iron production was replaced by mechanization in rapidly growing cities. In this article we examine the consequences of this transition on heights of young men in seven communities with contrasting histories. Men in this area were unusually short in the early nineteenth century, but the trend was strongly upward. There is also some evidence that urban areas experienced setbacks when they were growing most rapidly. Comparison of heights among occupations shows dramatic differences between rich and poor. The gap between the poorest and the wealthiest was at least eight centimeters, and heights seem to reflect even small differences in childhood experience. However, gains in height were larger among the poor, reducing differences within the working class by mid-century.

Migrants often have lower mortality than natives in spite of relatively unfavorable social and ec... more Migrants often have lower mortality than natives in spite of relatively unfavorable social and economic characteristics. Although migrants have a short-run advantage due to the selective migration of healthy workers, persistent health and mortality differences between migrants and natives may be long-run effects of different experiences in childhood. We made use of a natural experiment resulting from rural-to-urban migration in the mid-19th century. Mortality was much higher in urban areas, especially in rapidly growing industrial cities. Migrants usually came from healthier rural origins as young adults. Data used in this study is available from 19th-century Belgian population registers describing two sites: a rapidly growing industrial city and a small town that became an industrial suburb. We found evidence of three processes that lead to differences between the mortality of migrants and natives. First, recent migrants had lower mortality than natives, because they were self-selected for good health when they arrived. This advantage decreased with time spent in the destination. Second, migrants from rural backgrounds had a disadvantage in epidemic years, because they had less experience with these diseases. Third, migrants from rural areas had lower mortality at older (but not younger) ages, even if they had migrated more than 10 years earlier. We interpret this as a long-run consequence of less exposure to disease in childhood.

Abstract: Shared genetic inheritance results in a high correlation in the heights of brothers, bu... more Abstract: Shared genetic inheritance results in a high correlation in the heights of brothers, but environmental conditions can intervene. Poor diet, disease, and heavy labor can prevent the achievement of potential heights. If families cannot control variations in these conditions, the heights of brothers will be less strongly correlated. We use heights measured at military conscription examinations from three communities in nineteenthcentury Belgium. The Generalized Estimating Equation procedure allows us to estimate effects of covariates on mean heights as well as the correlations within families. Both average height and the correlation of brothers' heights differed by socio-economic status. Members of the local elite were taller and the heights of brothers in those families were more strongly correlated. This suggests that elite families were much better able to control the environmental challenges faced by their offspring.

... Many of these issues remain to be examined, and relatively little has been written about the ... more ... Many of these issues remain to be examined, and relatively little has been written about the effects of household composition on fertility except for Al-ter's (1988) work on the female life course in Verviers and, more recently, Jan Van Bavel's (2001a and 2001b) research on the ...

Annales de démographie historique, 1994

ABSTRACT Nicht nur die anhaltenden wirtschaftlichen Krisen verschaffen der traditionsreichen Sozi... more ABSTRACT Nicht nur die anhaltenden wirtschaftlichen Krisen verschaffen der traditionsreichen Sozioökonomie neue Aufmerksamkeit. Als integratives, meta-disziplinäres Paradigma verspricht sie ein besseres Verständnis wirtschaftlicher Phänomene und Zusammenhänge als monodisziplinäre Zugänge. Das Buch bietet erstmals einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Sozioökonomie, ihr Selbstverständnis, ihre Geschichte, ihre Theoriestränge und Methodologie sowie ihre Forschungsfelder.

Annales De Demographie Historique, Feb 3, 2009

... Parmi ces populations « ordinaires » du xixe siècle, c'est en l'occ... more ... Parmi ces populations « ordinaires » du xixe siècle, c'est en l'occurrence celle d'une ville nord-américaine, Montréal entre les recensements de 1881 et 1901, que Danielle Gauvreau et Sherry Olson ont étudiée. ... Fertig, Georg (2005), “Geschwister – Eltern – Grosseltern. ...

... and Population. A Comparison of Societies in Asia and Europe, Muriel Neven and Catherine Capr... more ... and Population. A Comparison of Societies in Asia and Europe, Muriel Neven and Catherine Capron (eds.), Liège, Laboratoire de Démographie. Alter, George ... 23-25. Alter, George, Manfredini, Matteo, Nystedt, Paul et al. (in preparation ...

ABSTRACT Eastern Belgium provides a range of examples of early industrialization. In the nineteen... more ABSTRACT Eastern Belgium provides a range of examples of early industrialization. In the nineteenth century, well-established proto-industrial textile and iron production was replaced by mechanization in rapidly growing cities. In this article we examine the consequences of this transition on heights of young men in seven communities with contrasting histories. Men in this area were unusually short in the early nineteenth century, but the trend was strongly upward. There is also some evidence that urban areas experienced setbacks when they were growing most rapidly. Comparison of heights among occupations shows dramatic differences between rich and poor. The gap between the poorest and the wealthiest was at least eight centimeters, and heights seem to reflect even small differences in childhood experience. However, gains in height were larger among the poor, reducing differences within the working class by mid-century.

Migrants often have lower mortality than natives in spite of relatively unfavorable social and ec... more Migrants often have lower mortality than natives in spite of relatively unfavorable social and economic characteristics. Although migrants have a short-run advantage due to the selective migration of healthy workers, persistent health and mortality differences between migrants and natives may be long-run effects of different experiences in childhood. We made use of a natural experiment resulting from rural-to-urban migration in the mid-19th century. Mortality was much higher in urban areas, especially in rapidly growing industrial cities. Migrants usually came from healthier rural origins as young adults. Data used in this study is available from 19th-century Belgian population registers describing two sites: a rapidly growing industrial city and a small town that became an industrial suburb. We found evidence of three processes that lead to differences between the mortality of migrants and natives. First, recent migrants had lower mortality than natives, because they were self-selected for good health when they arrived. This advantage decreased with time spent in the destination. Second, migrants from rural backgrounds had a disadvantage in epidemic years, because they had less experience with these diseases. Third, migrants from rural areas had lower mortality at older (but not younger) ages, even if they had migrated more than 10 years earlier. We interpret this as a long-run consequence of less exposure to disease in childhood.

Abstract: Shared genetic inheritance results in a high correlation in the heights of brothers, bu... more Abstract: Shared genetic inheritance results in a high correlation in the heights of brothers, but environmental conditions can intervene. Poor diet, disease, and heavy labor can prevent the achievement of potential heights. If families cannot control variations in these conditions, the heights of brothers will be less strongly correlated. We use heights measured at military conscription examinations from three communities in nineteenthcentury Belgium. The Generalized Estimating Equation procedure allows us to estimate effects of covariates on mean heights as well as the correlations within families. Both average height and the correlation of brothers' heights differed by socio-economic status. Members of the local elite were taller and the heights of brothers in those families were more strongly correlated. This suggests that elite families were much better able to control the environmental challenges faced by their offspring.

... Many of these issues remain to be examined, and relatively little has been written about the ... more ... Many of these issues remain to be examined, and relatively little has been written about the effects of household composition on fertility except for Al-ter's (1988) work on the female life course in Verviers and, more recently, Jan Van Bavel's (2001a and 2001b) research on the ...

Annales de démographie historique, 1994

ABSTRACT Nicht nur die anhaltenden wirtschaftlichen Krisen verschaffen der traditionsreichen Sozi... more ABSTRACT Nicht nur die anhaltenden wirtschaftlichen Krisen verschaffen der traditionsreichen Sozioökonomie neue Aufmerksamkeit. Als integratives, meta-disziplinäres Paradigma verspricht sie ein besseres Verständnis wirtschaftlicher Phänomene und Zusammenhänge als monodisziplinäre Zugänge. Das Buch bietet erstmals einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Sozioökonomie, ihr Selbstverständnis, ihre Geschichte, ihre Theoriestränge und Methodologie sowie ihre Forschungsfelder.

Annales De Demographie Historique, Feb 3, 2009

... Parmi ces populations « ordinaires » du xixe siècle, c'est en l'occ... more ... Parmi ces populations « ordinaires » du xixe siècle, c'est en l'occurrence celle d'une ville nord-américaine, Montréal entre les recensements de 1881 et 1901, que Danielle Gauvreau et Sherry Olson ont étudiée. ... Fertig, Georg (2005), “Geschwister – Eltern – Grosseltern. ...

Reihe Gegenwart und Geschichte im Seismo-Verlag Die Reihe Gegenwart und Geschichte basiert auf... more Reihe Gegenwart und Geschichte im Seismo-Verlag

Die Reihe Gegenwart und Geschichte basiert auf dem Zusammentreffen von Sozialwissenschaften und Geschichte. Sozialwissenschaftliche und historiographische Methoden sollen hier im Dialog Geschichte so aufarbeiten, dass dadurch Gegenwartsanalysen möglich werden. Die Reihe steht jeglichen sozialwissenschaftlich inspirierten historischen Analysen offen.

Herausgeber
Prof. Sandro Cattacin, Université de Genève
Dr. Toni Ricciardi, Université de Genève
Dr. Christian Stohr, London School of Economics

Wissenschaftlicher Beirat
Prof. Matthieu Leimgruber, Universität Zürich
Prof. Martin Lengwiler, Universität Basel
Prof. Michel Oris, Université de Genève
Prof. Mary O’Sullivan, Université de Genève

Série Présent et Histoire aux Editions Seismo

La collection Présent et Histoire résulte d’une rencontre entre sciences sociales et histoire. Les méthodes des sciences sociales et de l’historiographie sont amenées à dialoguer de façon à permettre à faire entrer l’histoire dans
l’analyse de phénomènes contemporains. La collection est ouverte à toutes les analyses historiques inspirées des sciences sociales.

Editeurs
Prof. Sandro Cattacin, Université de Genève
Dr. Toni Ricciardi, Université de Genève
Dr. Christian Stohr, London School of Economics

Comité scientifique
Prof. Matthieu Leimgruber, Universität Zürich
Prof. Martin Lengwiler, Universität Basel
Prof. Michel Oris, Université de Genève
Prof. Mary O’Sullivan, Université de Genève

Interesse, in der Reihe zu publizieren? Kontaktieren Sie die Herausgebenden: Intéressé à publier dans cette série? Contactez les responsables: Sandro Cattacin, Toni Ricciardi, Christian Stohr

Annales de Démographie Historique, 2015

This state of the art considers the researches in historical demography and family history on old... more This state of the art considers the researches in historical demography and family history on old age and ageing. We take a long term perspective on the representations, the socioeconomic realities and their interrelations. Discourses and norms are highly ambivalent, ideologically charged, with Deep social differences. The articulation of life courses and life phases with family dynamics are interrogated through the hypothesis of the nuclear hardship. The 19th century and the second half of the 20th appear as a complex period balancing between continuities and changes. Evolutions since 1945 are impressive, always ambivalent, highlighted by the historical perspective.