The applicant has provided a compelling rationale for her proposed dissertation topic. She intends to investigate the impact of modernization on the status of the elderly--their position within the family and their health--in Fiji. The discussion of the research aims and the rationale for the research suggest a keen awareness that changes in the economy of a country can clearly have unanticipated outcomes such as exacerbating conflicts of interest among family members. The applicant details why these changes may fall particularly heavy upon dependent elderly. The findings of the proposed research could have major implications, not just for Fiji, but for much of the developing Third World. Data for her analysis will come from the 1966 and 1986 Census of Fiji and a 1983 WHO Study of Elderly in Fiji. These two sources will provide the applicant with the measures she needs to test her hypotheses. Moreover, her discussion of her research design gives every indication what she recognized the strengths and limitations of these measures and the multiple statistical procedures necessary to bring her research to its completion.
