This proposal outlines an international population training program that continues and expands Michigan's Population Studies Center's current program supported by the Fogarty International Center of NIH. The goal of the program is to enhance qualitative and quantitative demographic research in the partner countries through a variety of collaborative activities. The program proposed here continues activities in China, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam, and adds two new partner countries to the program, South Africa and Brazil. These countries are chosen for several reasons. First, a training program of this type can have a large impact on each country's research infrastructure and policy environment. Second, there are common substantiative themes and methodological approaches that connect current PSC research in these countries. Third, the countries are at different stages of social and economic development and lend themselves to informative comparative analysis. The program builds on current PSC research projects analyzing intergenerational support and old-age security in Asian countries; the effect of economic transitions on the condition of children, young adults and the elderly in Brazil, South Africa, China, and Vietnam; and the evolutionary foundations of life cycle patterns in fertility in mortality. The program takes advantage of Michigan's strengths in qualitative and quantitative populations research and long experience in international population training. The program will include regular Ph.D. training, short-term training through classes and collaborative research, and workshops and collaborative research conducted by PSC faculty in the countries. The major emphasis is on short-term training of predoctoral and postdoctoral visitors, taking place at Michigan in the designated countries. Short-term training at Michigan will take advantage of classes taught by PSC faculty and the University's well-known summer courses conducted by ICPSR and SRC. This formal coursework will be combined with collaborative research activity designed to give students and population professionals hands-on training in the latest developments in qualitative and quantitative social research methods. Training in the foreign countries will take place through workshops conducted by PSC faculty and collaborative research projects. The Center has had great success with both of these approaches to short- term collaborative training of population professionals from developing countries.
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