British Society for BSPS NEWS Population Studies www.bsps.org.uk ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Issue No. 100 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ _ February 2010 BSPS CONFERENCE 2010 BSPS 2010 subscription dues are now due, and prompt payment would be appreciated. Membership subscriptions The 2010 BSPS Annual Conference will be held at the are the backbone of the Society’s income, and, in University of Exeter from 13-15 September. Plenary speakers particular, enable a wide variety of day meetings to be are confirmed as: Dr. Ties Boerma (World Health organised. Organzation), Professor Bob Woods, University of Liverpool, and Dr. Tomas Sobotka, (IIASA, Vienna). The Many members pay their annual subscription by standing call for papers has now been sent out and can also be order, and BSPS is keen to encourage this method of accessed at: payment. If you would like a standing order form, please http://www2.lse.ac.uk/socialPolicy/BSPS/annualConference/ email [email protected]. 2010/2010%20Exeter.aspx , where you will also find the link to the online submissions system. For members who prefer to pay annually by cheque, please access the renewal form here: Attendance at BSPS Conferences has been steadily http://www2.lse.ac.uk/socialPolicy/BSPS/Home.aspx increasing over the past few years, and the Conference itself then choose ‘membership renewal form’ from the menu on is widely seen as a lively, thought-provoking, and possibly the left. Annual rates remain the same as in 2009. Please unique mix of presentations from academics and practioners note that corporate membership entitles the member from local government and NGOs. organisation to send two representatives to the Annual Conference at the members’ registration rate. A booking form and provisional programme will be available in May. This year’s venue is particularly attractive, with stunning views over the Exe Valley. BSPS NEWS BSPS CONFERENCE 2011 The Newsletter was edited until recently by Lynda Clarke from the Centre for Population Studies, LSHTM, a role Advance notice for your diary: the 2011 BSPS Annual which Lynda willingly undertook for many years. Lynda Conference will be held at the University of York from 7 – 9 resigned from this role at the 2009 AGM, held during the September 2011. 2009 Annual Conference. BSPS would like to put on record its heartfelt thanks to Lynda for her most valuable FORTHCOMING BSPS DAY work on BSPS News. It would not have carried on without her. MEETINGS And now the apology: you may have noticed that BSPS News did not appear in 2009. (Shame on you if you did THE DEMOGRAPHY OF LONDON not.) This was due to a combination of circumstances: pressure of work at the Secretariat and, more specifically, a Provisional date and venue: 7 July 2010 at City Hall, lack of content during the first nine months of the year. London. The meeting will cover both historical and Time-dated and urgent material was sent to members in the contemporary material and is being organised by Eileen form of email circulations and this method of sending out Howes. If any member would like to volunteer a contribution time-dated items will continue. However, from the next or suggestion, please contact Eileen at issue, BSPS News will be edited by Amos Channon at the [email protected] University of Southampton, assisted by Emily Freeman from LSE. The Newsletter relies very heavily on BSPS members to contribute content and is always grateful for NOTICES information likely to be of interest to members, such as details of forthcoming meetings from other bodies and BSPS 2010 subscription dues reports of meetings held by others. If you have ideas for new features, please contact Amos at [email protected], Edited and produced at the BSPS Secretariat, PS201, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE. Meetings or reports contained in this Newsletter are included as information to members. They are not necessarily endorsed by BSPS Council. BSPS is a registered charity. or Emily at [email protected]. Previous awards have been made to visitors from Cuba and Brazil. In 2005, Sonia Catasus Cervera, from the University of Havana visited, and in 2006, Consuelo BSPS PRIZE 2010 – ENTRIES Martin, also from Cuba, visited. In both instances, they INVITED were also supported by the University of Manchester to visit that institution. In September 2007, a visit by Andre Caetano from the University of Minas Gerais (Belo Entries are invited for the 2010 BSPS Prize. Horizonte Brazil) was funded, to further work with colleagues at the London School of Economics and the This is awarded to the entry judged to be the best MSc. University of Southampton. Seminars were held at the Dissertation on a demographic topic during the year 2009 London School of Economics and the University of (which would normally be at or around distinction level). Southampton during the visit. The 2008 LEDC visitor was Applicants should supply four copies of their dissertation, Niveen Abu R'Meileh from Birzeit University, and in 2009 which do not need to be bound – electronic submissions can Dr. Dilip visited from India. also be accepted. Suggestions for the use of part or all of this fund for the Please note that all entries should be submitted by the year 2010 should be made by 30 April 2010, to institution awarding the degree, or by the supervising [email protected] for consideration by the BSPS Council at academic, and not by the authors themselves. A maximum of their next meeting. Suggestions would be best supported by two entries per institution will be accepted. A word limit of a single typed sheet describing how the money might be 12,000 words per entry is encouraged, on the basis that it is budgeted and spent and in what ways this would encourage very difficult to judge and compare entries of vastly differing collaboration. Bids should also include a detailed timetable lengths. However, longer dissertations may also be entered, of the proposed activities, and should come from the UK- with a section not exceeding the given word limit being based sponsoring individual or institution only. nominated for judging. A cash prize of £300 is offered, which will be increased to OBITUARY £400 if there is a tie for first place and the Prize is split between two winners. The winner(s) will be announced at the It is with great sadness that the Tees Valley JSU report the BSPS Conference in September. death of Steve Turner, aged 62, after a retirement inversely proportional to that deserved and to an illness of such For the purposes of this prize, demography is defined as brevity that we were all deeply shocked by its virulence. 1. the scientific study of human populations, especially with reference to their size, structure and Steve Turner studied Mathematics at Leicester University distribution and then took a masters in Statistics at Newcastle. He 2. the scientific study of the determining processes, worked for one year at the Central Electricity Generating such as fertility, mortality and Board before entering into Local Government where he migration, and worked for the remainder of his working life from 1972 3. the relationship of these with the social, economic with Teesside County Borough, through the entire and cultural context within which they exist. existence of Cleveland County Council with Research and Intelligence from 1974 to 1996 and then for the remainder Entries should be received by 30 April 2010 at the BSPS of his career with the Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit as Secretariat, PS201, London School of Economics, Houghton Assistant Director, co-ordinating, developing and Street, London WC2A 2AE, or [email protected] managing the statistical and information needs of the Tees Valley. BSPS LEDC INITIATIVE 2010 – CALL He was a statistician at heart and kept Government departments on their toes through his work on several FOR PROPOSALS liaison and working groups over the years, with his desire not only to read every single paper but to understand them The BSPS Developing Countries Initiative has reserved and then highlight weaknesses and suggest alternatives. In £1,500 per annum for activities that encourage collaboration particular, his role on the Census liaison groups and his between population demographers in the UK and developing contribution to the ground-breaking work on dual system countries. This initiative sponsors an annual visit by a estimators for post-census coverage have led to demographer from a LEDC, who gives a presentation at the improvements that will benefit not only the statistical world BSPS Conference where they get the opportunity to meet and but also the Local Government community through develop contacts with UK demographers. The overall aim is improved census information and better population to encourage long-term collaboration and joint projects, and estimates. it is anticipated that contacts will already exist between the person to be funded, and a UK institution or UK He was a member of BSPS for over 30 years and was a demographers. regular at conferences through the 1980s and early 1990s and also followed developments and new ideas 2 through LARIA and BURISA. Professor Cleland described three sets of indicators for He was a keen cyclist, clocking up thousands of miles each measurement of the potential for fertility decline; whether the year for 25 years was the common denominator in the mid- populace was ready, willing and/or able. The first set of summer bike rides around the hostelries of North Yorkshire. indicators looking at being ‘ready’ for fertility decline considered the demand for delaying and reducing family size. He was already missed, following his early retirement, but ‘Willingness’ considers the approval of family planning his legacy remains with the many staff he managed, trained, methods, intentions to use such methods and whether there advised and guided and who will forever appreciate the time had been discussion of using contraceptives within the he gave and benefit from the knowledge he was always household.