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African Population Studies
Union for African Population Studies
ISSN: 0850-5780
Vol. 12, Num. 1, 1997
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African Population Studies/Etude de la Population Africaine, Vol. 12, No. 1, March/mars 1997
Editorial
A
Fresh Invitation to Studies in African Population
Orieji CHIMERE-DAN
Deputy Chief Editor
Code Number: ep97001
The
first issue of African Population Studies appeared ten years ago with
the aim of disseminating work done on African population by the international
community of population researchers. As the official scientific publication
of the Union for African Population Studies, African Population Studies has
made good contributions to the dissemination of research on African population.
In fact, the basic mission of the journal to is disseminate dependable and
timely information emanating from original scholarly research on African
population. African Population Studies has maintained a bilingual
identity, thereby reaching a wider audience of professionals and policy makers.
The success of bilingual publishing has gone beyond the published pages to
break communication and other artificial barriers between Anglophone and
Francophone researchers.
In
1996 the current UAPS Council reviewed the editorial and administrative processes
of African Population Studies to ensure that the journal is of a high
international standard in its contents, production and circulation. This
resulted in an expansion of the editorial office to include a deputy editor
entrusted with the responsibility of processing articles submitted in English.
The administrative office of UAPS was strengthened with more clearly defined
functions relating to the journal. The editorial advisory board was expanded
from a pool of international scholars in the population field.
This
first issue in 1997 is a good opportunity to express our gratitude to past
and present officers of the Union for African Population Studies, contributors,
reviewers, donors and all who, over these years, have contributed in various
capacities to 10 years of life for the journal. Special thanks go to the
premier UAPS council under the presidency of Sidiki Coulibaly, the second
council under the presidency of Adepoju Aderanti and especially to Cheikh
Mbacké, the first Chief Editor, for their pioneering roles in the
history of the journal.
This
is equally an appropriate time to extend a fresh invitation to studies in
the ever- exciting field of African population. The issues at stake in the
Second African Population Conference in the year of birth of the journal
remain largely unresolved while new research problems have emerged. To population
scientists in general and researchers of African population, the need for
more work is obvious in the traditional domains of population studies including
fertility and nuptiality, mortality and morbidity, migration and urbanization,
contraceptive behaviour, family planning and population programmes.
New
areas are presenting fresh challenges to research on African population.
Two related problems at the top of the list are reproductive health and the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. Together, these two issues are testing with ruthless impatience
the conceptual and methodological framework of population studies in Africa.
One of the greatest challenges to population researchers in the region is
to develop innovative conceptual and methodological tools for intervention
in resolving reproductive health and HIV/AIDS problems in Africa. This need
has placed population research high on the agenda of policy makers, governments,
bilateral institutions, multilateral development agencies and foundations.
On their part, researchers of African population are responding to this challenge
at the individual, institutional and national levels. However, the scale
of research needs in the area of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS should
not overshadow many equally important issues and areas necessitating research
on African population. Nor should the emergency situation generated by these
demographic and health problems pressure us into doing sub-standard and dubious
research on African population.
We
need to extend research to a range of issues that are not easily seen as
priorities by others in different professions. At least four areas call for
attention here. First, the theoretical base of population research in Africa
should be subject to assessments in relation to contemporary problems of
development in Africa. Secondly, for too long, studies on African population
have focussed disproportionately on the level of fertility and how to destabilize
it, sometimes at the expense of improved knowledge of several other equally
important issues in the demography of the region. Thirdly, there is a poor
geographical spread of population research activities in Africa. Lastly,
perennial and emerging data needs threaten progress in our knowledge of many
aspects of the African population.
Theoretical
orientations
We
would like to see more work that revisit the dominant theoretical orientations
and presuppositions in most of the works African population. Theories of
progress were in vogue at a critical period in the history of population
research. Not surprisingly, the theory of demographic transition developed
at the time it did and has ever since been the main departure point for most
research on population despite its serious weaknesses. Most approaches to
African population situate very much within the framework of transition from
a primitive to a modern society, and are thus preoccupied with looking for
how African societies can move toward preferred demographic patterns that
are sufficiently modern. For too long, the theory of demographic transition
received little fundamental challenge especially as it applies to Africa
and other less developed regions of the world. Other theoretical positions
on development and transition are not given sufficient consideration in studies
on African population. This theoretical reductionism is part of the historical
baggage inherited by demography from the intellectual climate of the 1940s
and 1950s, a feature that a growing body of researchers now sees as an impediment
to good scientific work on population. As regards the descriptive and explanatory
powers of the transition theory, the experience of our colleagues working
on European population is instructive. Results from the European Fertility
Project indicate, among other things, that the ideas articulated in the theory
of demographic transition, though useful, could not have constituted the theory
of demographic change.
The
assumptions that derive from our myopic theoretical orientation have played
a more important, though subtle, role in shaping the research directions
and methodologies in African population. Consider some of the key concepts
that are emphasized in population research and programmes, especially after
the 1994 Cairo conference. Concepts like reproductive choice, womens empowerment,
individual reproductive and family size decision-making, fertility preferences,
individual demand for contraception and fertility control have one thing
in common with reference to population research and programmes . They make
sense only with the assumption of contemporary Western democracy as the societal
(if not political) precondition, context or goal. Without this assumption,
or if it is denied, population research, as practised in much of Africa and
other less developed regions of the world, would encounter conceptual turbulence.
Need we assume fixed universal characteristics for these fundamental concepts
in the study of population? Yet research in population has not seriously
questioned the validity of working with such concepts (as individual right,
freedom of choice, self-determination, etc) in many societies that are far
from being democratic in the western sense. Although aspects of the problems
raised in this regard are more easily appreciated by population programme
managers, the fact that the lack of compatibility between contexts and concepts
in population programmes has not received priority in population research
in Africa and other less developed regions remains an enigma and is certainly
a weakness of our discipline.
Similarly,
assumptions about the relative importance of ideational factors on one hand
and qualitative change in social and economic conditions on the other, have
received little critical attention in Africa. For instance, a subtle interpretation
of the role of ideational change in the African context appears to project
widespread use of contraception as an end in itself rather than as one of
the various means to the broad goal of development. In the light of emerging
evidence from outside and within the region, we need to continually revisit
assumptions about the place of key demographic concepts in the wider issues
pertaining to African development.
As
this is not meant to be an exhaustive profile of research and research needs
in Africa, a number of other important issues and areas that call for attention
are not raised. The role of national and international agencies in shaping
the direction of research on African population, the utilization of various
censuses and other existing large-scale survey data in research, triangulation
in large-scale studies, cross-national collaboration, research infrastructure
and organization are critical matters that bear upon studies on African population,
and will remain on the agenda of advancing population research in the continent.
Broadening
research areas
Research
on African population has focussed disproportionately on fertility and its
determinants with an explicit interest in the search for props for high fertility
and how these could be counteracted. Although work has been done in other
areas such as mortality and migration, these are the exceptions rather than
the norms. Besides, research in other areas tend to be justified to the extent
that they make demonstrable contributions to the overarching goal of fertility
reduction. Hence, studies on mortality are linked to the relationship between
fertility and mortality with the assumption that a decline in infant and
child mortality will encourage African parents to have a small number of
children. In a good number of cases migration is studied to examine its relationship
with change in sexual and reproductive behaviour. Studies on marriage (age
and patterns), marital instability, breast-feeding, contraception, post-partum
abstinence, and the minor proximate determinants such as abortion and coital
frequency have been oriented towards quantifying and clarifying their effects
on fertility. The emergence of HIV/AIDS and the incorporation of family planning
into the newly accepted framework of reproductive health are reinforcing
the concentration of areas of active research on African population.
Other
areas that call for serious research attention in Africa include the social
position of women, the family, education, human capital development, culture
and demographic behaviour, the demography of vulnerable sub-groups, poverty,
population and the environment and rapid urbanization. To emphasize the need
for more research into these and other aspects of the relationship between
population and development in Africa is a restatement of the obvious.
African
historical demography
Who
is interested in African historical demography or population history of Africa?
Demographers, especially those working on non-African data appear to have
given up hope on African historical demography or demographic history. To
many, the concerns of the moment around issues like high fertility and HIV/AIDs
are considered big enough to occupy researchers. And in any case there seems
to be no immediate policy relevance of work on the demographic history of
Africa. Others take a more pragmatic stance, citing the extremely poor quality
of the current data, lack of a history of numerical record keeping and a
host of other reasons for not engaging in research on African population
history. We know that these problems notwithstanding, the scientific enterprise
thrives on challenges. There is no scientific basis for outright dismissal
of works that attempt to understand how African populations have evolved
into their present structures and trends. Works in this area may not immediately
match the sophistication of the designs used by the Cambridge Group or Princeton
studies in historical demography but are worth trying. None of the reasons
given for discouraging serious work on the demographic history of Africa
arises from concrete evidence of an attempt that failed to produce worthwhile
results.
Population,
economic and political developments
The
tendency for many demographic studies to assume stable Western democracy
in non-Western societies has been pointed out in an earlier section. New
studies should challenge work that de-links the population factor from the
wider socio-economic policy and political environments of which it is an
inseparable part. The economic and political contexts of population programmes
in Africa, and newer issues about rationales and programme orientations in
the face of globalization, remain marginalised in research activities on
African population. It is hardly surprising that many studies have not been
quick to address the demographic consequences or precedents of developments
in Africa such as violent political transition, authoritarian leadership,
military states, economic crises and national administrative infrastructure.
In many studies, the role of the State in national demography tends to be
reduced to the narrow question of how it can or should implement fertility
and reproductive health policies. The coping strategies of African populations
in the face of endogenous and exogenous problems that have demographic correlates
call for careful research attention. We are still to see major empirical
demographic projects on population displacement around Africa due to wars,
political upheavals and socio-economic instability.
Geographical
spread of research
Geographical
distribution of demographic research in Africa remains skewed in favour of
few countries in the Eastern, Western and Southern sub-regions. Could it
be that individual researchers find it more convenient intellectually or
logistically to operate in well-beaten geographic grounds? Or could this
be a function of funding sources and priorities? Whatever the reasons, from
the point of view of good research, the side effects of the unbalanced geographic
spread of population research in Africa are less than desirable. It is often
the case that one sees a research report with a bold title on Africa only
to be disappointed that the work is based on a couple of countries, or on
one or even a locality of a country in Africa. Without making a case for
complete diversity in the demographic features of African countries, an assumption
of uniformity in the countries of Africa that reflects in such studies whether
or not intended, could be irritating to cautious observers.
Perennial
and emerging data needs
The
problem of data in Africa has not been a traditionally exciting area of population
research. The scarcity of stable demographic information and the poor quality
of available data sets remain major impediments to good demographic work
in Africa. As far back as the 1950s, pioneers of African demographic research
encountered data that had a poor quality. This problem subsequently encouraged
and contributed to the development of standard indirect demographic estimation
techniques. After the admirable work done by the first team of demographers
who pointed to the poor quality of demographic data in Africa in the 1960s
and 1970s, this field has been abandoned by many while others downgrade it
under the pretext of occasional cautions about data quality in research reports.
It is regrettable that today, decades after the work of pioneers of African
demographic research, indirect methods are still necessary for the estimation
of what should be straightforward demographic parameters such as fertility
and mortality levels in Africa.
The
consequences of our poor effort in research on data quality remain with us.
Both researchers and policy makers often face the embarrassments of poor
data. Often, researchers are dispirited on seeing that their important conclusions
and pet hypotheses were in fact based on fundamentally flawed data. African
Population researchers on are quite familiar with debates about the extent
to which observed levels and trends in key demographic variables such as
fertility and mortality are due to data error. Frequently, policies have
been based on demographic information that turn out to be erroneous.
Investigations
into ways of improving the quality of demographic information in Africa should
constitute a priority area in African population studies. In addition to
the perennial problems of data quality, research in this area could explore
the implications of technological advancement for the nature, quality and
mode of dissemination of demographic information in African countries. Several
sets of important demographic information are today available on the Internet.
Although only few Africa-based researchers presently have full access to
such facilities, we certainly will see an increase in access in the coming
years.
Large-scale
cross-national programmes of research such as the Contraceptive Prevalence
Surveys, the World Fertility Survey and the Demographic and Health Survey
have made useful contributions to our understanding of demographic patterns
in Africa and other less developed countries of the world. However, we need
studies of more complex designs that will be able to handle the range of
problems encountered in contemporary African societies. Though such studies
are quite expensive, we are encouraged to see a rising interest among researchers
and donors in longitudinal and small-area multi-purpose demographic and health
studies in Africa.
Conclusion
We
invite contributions from researchers on the many burning issues concerning
African population. The African population, like the populations of other
regions of the world, stands to make major contributions to our understanding
of population dynamics, their correlates and consequences. Perhaps some hypothetical
questions will drive home the points raised here about the current narrow
focus of interest in population research in Africa. Will the achievement
of a below replacement total fertility rate in Africa mark the end of population
studies in the region? What will be the major themes in African population
studies in many years to come when the total fertility rate would have declined
to a very low level in all African countries?
Whatever
the subsidiary demands and expectations on us as researchers of African population,
we are required to subscribe to the basic principles of good scientific research,
observing the highest levels of rigour and ethical standards. Although some
policy makers do not always make maximum use of products of good science,
we believe that good policies and programmes cannot come from bad studies
on the African population. We have to manage delicately the pressure from
those who want quick-fix results from our research. While we accommodate
comfortably external demands on our work, the history of science demonstrates
that several breakthroughs that have changed the course of humanity in various
fields were made by researchers who first pursued the ideals of science with
patience, diligence, objectivity and boundless stretch of scientific imagination.
Orieji
CHIMERE-DAN
Deputy Chief Editor
Copyright 1997 - Union for African Population
Studies.
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