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State of population research and research needs as expressed at the international conference on population and its preparatory meetings.


 One of the ways in which demography advances is by reappraising the problems with which it deals and, in that connection, international conferences play a major role. The International Conference on Population (1984) and the 4 expert group meetings organized for its substantive preparation gave Governments an opportunity to convey to the scientific community the issues in the field of population research which were of major concern to them. This article is organized around 3 main themes. The 1st concerns current needs in population research as perceived by governments, and the extent to which currently available knowledge is considered adequate. The 2nd concerns current needs in population research as perceived by Governments, as described in the 1st part of the article. The 3rd concerns priority. With limited human and financial resources, particularly in the present world economic situation, on what basis should it be decided what population research projects to pursue? Issues include: Socio-Economic Development, Environment, and Population; Role and Status of Women; Development of Population Policies; Morbidity and Mortality; Reproduction and the Family; Population Distribution and Internal Migration; and International Migration. Topics considered under each of these headings are: Accumulation of empirical knowledge; Reappraisal of the problem; Theoretical framework; and Concerns of the international community. Cooperation is more necessary today than ever before, for demography can offer much more to users than it could 10 years ago. At the same time, the profession is aware that an in-depth discussion on priorities is necessary all around, for the priorities are not always clearly discernable. The profession is also aware that the major users--i.e., the representatives of 3rd-world countries--must be more closely involved in the process of collective thinking with, for instance, the representatives of major foundations and international institutions.
