Graduate
programmes in development studies and advisory
services at the Institute of Social Studies, and
the Institute of Social Studies Advisory Services
The Institute of Social Studies (ISS), located
in the Hague, Netherlands, is an international
post-graduate school of policy-oriented, social
science teaching and research whose diverse
activities include teaching, interdisciplinary
research and advisory work in the field of development
studies. Founded by the universities of the
Netherlands in 1952, the Institute is one of
Europe's leading centres of higher education
and research in development studies. Over 8000
students from more than 160 countries have participated
in the Institute's programmes.
The Institute's linkages are world-wide. It
is a member of the European Association of Development
Research and Training Institutes and a member
of international associations such as the Society
for International Development. The ISS is also
a member of the Federation for International
Education in the Netherlands (FION). ISS participates
in the Centre for Resource Studies for Development
(CERES), the national, inter-university research
school for development studies recognized by
the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences.
The Institute offers extensive opportunities
for graduate studies at diploma, master's and
doctorate levels. All courses are taught in
English by an international academic staff.
The ISS currently has a total of 15 standard
Teaching Programmes, ranging from short-term
courses of 8 weeks to 15 months for the Master
of Arts, 18 months for the MPhil and 4 years
for the PhD.
These programmes have in common a policy orientation
to the study of development problems and training,
with most courses focussing on various aspects
of socio-economic planning and policy alternatives.
Programmes are intended primarily for participants
who have had practical and professional experience
in public, private, or non-governmental organizations,
and are also aimed at academics employed at
universities, research institutes, and other
institutes of higher learning. A participant's
background will normally, though not exclusively,
lie in the social sciences, also drawing people
from agronomy, law, engineering, journalism
and other areas. Although the Institute's participants
come from all parts of the world, the majority
are selected from developing countries.
For information on specific matters (the Institute
in general, admission policy, research, etc.)
interested people may find the right e-mail
addresses at the URL http://www.iss.nl/staff/staflist.htm.
Generic enquiries can be sent to the following
address:
Institute of Social Studies
P.O. Box 29776
2502 LT The Hague
The Netherlands
Tel. no. +31 70 426 0460
Fax no +31 70 426 0799
E-mail student.office@iss.nl
Telex 31491 ISS NL
Cables SOCINST
The Institute is not only an academic institution
but also an advisory services provider. The
steady growth in the demand for advisory services
resulted in the decision, taken by the Institute
in 1980, to establish the Institute of Social
Studies Advisory Service (ISSAS) as a new focal
point for further promoting advisory work.
Since becoming operational ISSAS has completed
more than 400 assignments in some 60 countries
for 35 different clients that have included
governments, bilateral and multilateral donor
agencies and private and non-governmental organizations,
with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
featuring as the single most important client.
These assignments have ranged from multi-year
projects requiring resident field staff and
advisers to short project formulation and evaluation
missions. Projects have also included contract
research assignments, the organization of conferences
and policy workshops, and contract teaching
assignments in both the Netherlands and overseas.
Further information about the Institute's advisory
services can be obtained at the Institute's
Web site, at the following URL: http://www.iss.nl/advisory/intro5.htm.
The contact person for information on advisory
activities and services is The Deputy Director, ISSAS
Institute of Social Studies
P.O.Box 29776
2502 LT The Hague
The Netherlands
Second
International Conference on Establishment Surveys
The first International Conference on Establishment
Surveys (ICES) was held in Buffalo, New York,
in 1993, and convened more than 400 experts
in the area of surveys of businesses, farms,
and institutions. The monograph papers from
this conference were published by J. Wiley in
1995 in a volume entitled Business Survey Methods,
edited by B. Cox et al. This first conference
set the stage by formally documenting the state
of the art at that time.
A second conference, ICES-II, is planned for
June, 2000, in Buffalo. Since the first ICES,
many new techniques have been implemented by
practitioners around the globe.
With the new millennium upon us, it is time
for a forward look at methods for surveying
businesses, farms, and institutions. Workshops
and software demonstrations are planned
in addition to several invited as well as contributed
sessions.
The ideal invited session will bring together
both theory and practice on any of the topics
listed below. The focus will be on surveys
of establishments, with evident links to the
subject. In addition to proposals addressing
the new millennium theme, the committee will
give full consideration to all business survey
related proposals. A hardcover, un-edited, proceedings
volume of the invited papers will be produced
after the conference.
List of topics
Registers and Frames:
profiling, classification, maintenance, evaluation,
demographics of enterprises, coping with frame
errors;
Survey Design and Sampling:
respondent burden, panel surveys, longitudinal
surveys, area sampling, robustness over time,
sample rotation, multi-phase sampling, coordinating
samples between surveys;
Data collection:
response rates, costs, electronic data reporting,
questionnaire design, cognitive aspects, measurement
errors, re-interview/evaluation;
Data processing:
editing, macro editing, imputation, data warehousing,
cost benefit analyses, automated systems;
Estimation: small
area methods, Bayesian methods, mass imputation,
variance estimation, outliers;
Dissemination:
presentation, disclosure control, on site
facilities for micro-data research, remote
access, web publishing, technology, public
use files, data sharing, output quality indicators;
Sector Specific Issues:
surveys of health-care facilities, nursing
homes, hospitals, schools and correctional
and other institutions, agriculture surveys,
education surveys, production of price indexes;
Cross cutting issues:
data warehousing, survey integration, derived
products, meta analysis, administrative data
use, time series methods, impact of deregulated
industries, international comparisons, data
quality measurement and evaluation;
Further information can be obtained either
by contacting:
Mr. Geoff Lee
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Methodology Division
P.O. Box 10
Belconnen, ACT 2616,
AUSTRALIA
e-mail: geoff.lee@abs.gov.au
Tel. no. +61 2 6252 7163 (voice)
Fax. no. +61 2 6252 8008 (FAX)
or at the Web site http://www.eia.doe.gov/ices2/
where addresses of other contact persons and
the organizing committee can be found.
Revision
of the World Population Estimates and Projections
The Population Division
of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs
has issued the 1998 Revision of the official United
Nations population estimates and projections.
From the 1998 Revision of the World Population
Estimates and Projections:
These population estimates and projections
provide the standard and consistent set of population
figures that are used throughout the United
Nations system as the basis for activities requiring
population information.
Below are some of the highlights of the new
world population estimates and projections.
World population currently
stands at 5.9 billion persons and is growing
at 1.33 per cent per year, or an annual net
addition of 78 million people. World population
in the mid 21st century is expected to be
in the range of 7.3 to 10.7 billion. The medium-fertility
projection, which is usually considered as
"most likely", indicates that world population
will reach 8.9 billion in 2050.
The world population
is expected to reach the 6 billion mark in
1999. From 1804, when the world passed the
1 billion mark, it took 123 years to reach
2 billion people in 1927, 33 years to attain
3 billion in 1960, 14 years to reach 4 billion
in 1974, 13 years to attain 5 billion in 1987
and 12 years to reach 6 billion in 1999.
The global average fertility
level now stands at 2.7 births per woman;
in contrast, in the early l950s, the average
number was 5 births per woman. Fertility is
now declining in all regions of the world.
For example, during the last 25 years, the
number of children per couple has fallen from
6.6 to 5.l in Africa, from 5.1 to 2.6 in Asia,
and from 5.0 to 2.7 in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
The 1998 Revision demonstrates
a devastating mortality toll from HIV/AIDS.
For instance, in the 29 hardest-hit African
countries, the average life expectancy at
birth is currently 7 years less than it would
have been in the absence of AIDS. The highest
prevalence of HIV in the world is currently
in Botswana, where one of every 4 adults is
infected. Life expectancy at birth in Botswana
is anticipated to fall from 61 years in 1990-1995
to 41 years by 2000-2005. Based on the United
Nations projections, Botswana's population
by 2025 may be 23 per cent smaller than it
would have been in the absence of AIDS. Nevertheless,
because fertility is high, the population
of Botswana is still expected to nearly double
between 1995 and 2050.
The results from the
1998 Revision shed new light on the global
population ageing processes. For the first
time, the numbers of octogenarians, nonagenarians
and centenarians are estimated and projected
for all countries of the world. In 1998, 66
million persons in the world were aged 80
or over, that is about 1 of every 100 persons.
This number is expected to increase almost
6 fold by 2050 to reach 370 million persons.
In addition, in 1998, around 135 thousand
persons in the world are estimated to be aged
100 or over. The number of centenarians is
projected to increase 16-fold by 2050 to reach
2.2 million persons.
Figures at regional and national level are
also provided, therefore a particular look at
figures for Asian and Pacific countries can
provide long trends in population size and structure
as far as ESCAP member countries are concerned.
Population Software Notes is a newsletter
of the Computer Software and Support for Population
Activities project of the United Nations Statistics
Division, funded by the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA).
We received the latest issues, numbers 8-9.
These introduce a wide set of software products
in the field of population software. Products
presented include some software for Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) (like PopMap for Windows
3.1, Mapscan for Windows, IMPS for Windows),
the UNFPA 1998 Web site contents CD-ROM edition,
and many others. The newsletters deal also with
recent trends in development of software for
population, some examples of applications of
GIS for statistical analysis, and other interesting
information.
Particularly useful is an inventory of software
for population activities, which lists different
software products by topic (census and survey
data processing, epidemiology and public health
data processing, etc) and provides information
such as product name, description, operating
system, status and a contact person/institution/company.
A Selected References section closes the newsletter
with further reference to existing publications
and other sources for those interested in this
field. In general, e-mail and Web site addresses
are provided, users can find what they need
by themselves if they have an Internet connection.
To get their copy, readers who can access the
Internet can browse the following Web site (URL
http://www.undp.org/popin/softproj/
or http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/softproj/index.htm)
and download the Acrobat (pdf extension, 2.07
Mbytes) file edition of the newsletter. Acrobat
reader is freely downloadable too, therefore
readers can produce their own copy of the newsletter
using their printer. For those who do not have
access to the Internet the contact address for
a copy of the newsletter is
Project Co-ordinator
Computer Software and Support
for Population Activities, INT/96/P74
United Nations Statistics Division
2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-1526
New York, NY 10017, USA.
Fax no. 1 (212) 963-4116
E-mail softproj_unsd@un.org
IMPS
and other training news from the U.S. Bureau of
the Census
IMPS developments
IMPS, the widely known software package for
processing census operations, will merge with
the Integrated System for Survey Analysis (ISSA)
to result in a Windows-based package named IMSA.
The new package will implement those typical
point-and-click features that make Windows applications
more friendly to users. Of course advanced users
will still be able to interact with the software
to generate or modify the code when more sophisticated
applications are needed.
This news is particularly important for the
ESCAP region as many countries have adopted
IMPS to process their operations for the next
round of population censuses.
1999 Summer Workshops
Five workshops are being organized by the U.S.
Bureau of the Census in Washington, D.C. The
series of courses begins in May and ends in
October. The next summer session will offer:
Data Dissemination
2000: Building an Integrated System, 17
May - 4 June 1999, (3 weeks, $2,850)
Sampling and Statistical
Methods, 7 June - 2 July 1999, (4 weeks,
$3,800)
Analysis and Evaluation
of Gender Statistics, 6 July - 23 July
1999, (3 weeks, $2,850)
Geographic Information
Systems, 26 July - 3 September 1999, (6
weeks, $6,800)
Integrated Microcomputer
Processing System (IMPS), 7 September
- 1 October 1999, (4 weeks, $3,800)
Workshops are limited to 15 participants, therefore
interested people are encouraged to apply early.
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS CENTER
Bureau of the Census
Washington, D.C. 20233-8860
U.S.A.
Fax: (301) 457-3033
E-mail: ipc@census.gov
Annual
Report on International Statistics
The Annual Report on International Statistics
(ARIS) is published by the International Statistical
Institute (ISI) in collaboration with the Institut
National de la Statistique et des Études
Économiques (INSEE). This volume
reports on major players around the world in
the international statistical community.
The 1998 Report commences with two article,
one by Willem de Vries, Statistics Netherlands,
titled "Getting better organized; Some Challenges
for Official Statistics in the Near Future"
and the second being "Monitoring Poverty
Alleviation in Africa: An Iterative Approach",
by Michel Mouyelo-Katula, EuroCost, Luxembourg,
et al.
There follows a description of the work programmes
of the various ISI sections, providing information
on their activities including those of the IAOS
(International Association for Official Statistics),
the IASC (International Association for Statistical
Computing), and the IASS (International Association
of Survey Statisticians). In the third section,
information on main United Nations and other
international and/or governmental organizations
is provided. On the remaining fourth, fifth
and sixth sections information is provided on
International Statistical and Related Associations,
National Statistical Associations and Private
Sector Bodies and Data Archives respectively.
A calendar of selected events in statistical
fields, to be held from 1998 to 2000, is also
provided.
This overview of ARIS may provide useful updated
information on the global statistical community.
To find more about the contents of ARIS you
can consult the ISI Web site at the following
URL http://www.cbs.nl/isi/ARIS.htm
or contact ISI at: International Statistical Institute
Permanent Office
P.O. Box 950
2270 AZ Voorburg
The Netherlands
Tel. 31-70-3375737
Fax 31-70-3860025 ipc@census.gov
E-mail: isi@cbs.nl
Tentative
list of statistical meetings - 1999
A selection of international statistical
meetings scheduled to be held in 1999 is provided
here. The list includes some regional or subregional
meetings that are planned for a limited number
of participants only.
1-5 March 1999,
New York
Thirtieth session of the United Nations Statistical
Commission (UNSC)
22-26 March 1999,
Bangkok (*)
Joint UNSD/ESCAP training seminar on international
merchandise trade statistics for countries
in the ESCAP region
22-25 June 1999,
Manila (*)
Fourth meeting of ESCAP Working Party on Application
of New Technology to Population Data
June (5 days) 1999,
Bangkok (*)(**)
Seminar on information technology management
for decision makers
June/July (3 days)
1999, Bangkok (*)(**)
Seminar on poverty statistics
10-18 August 1999,
Helsinki
Fifty-second session of the International
Statistical Institute (ISI)
13-24 September 1999,
Bangkok (*)
UNSD/ESCAP Training Workshop on Civil Registration
and Vital Statistics
September (2 weeks)
1999, Macau (*)(**)
First subregional training workshop on environment
statistics
(*) meeting organized
by the Statistics Division of ESCAP.
(**) Dates uncertain.
Central
Product Classification version 1.0
The Central Product Classification version
1.0 (CPC 1.0) was issued last May by the United
Nations Statistics Division at Headquarters.
It replaces the provisional version after further
changes to its services part, which was revised
thanks to extensive collaboration with the Voorburg
Group on Service Statistics.
Other contributions to the CPC 1.0 came from
national statistical offices and international
agencies.
The publication starts with an historical background,
followed by the underlying principles of the
classification of goods and services. Goods
and services as classified by the CPC 1.0 follow
a hierarchical and purely decimal system. The
classification consists of sections (first digit),
divisions (first and second digits), groups
( three digits), classes (four digits) and subclasses
(five digits).
As products are related to other economic concepts,
CPC 1.0 is related to other classification standards.
These relations of items/subsets of CPC 1.0
are given in respect of the Harmonized Commodity
Description and Coding System (HS), the Standard
International Trade Classification (SITC Rev.3)
and the International Standard Industrial Classification
of All Economic Activities (ISIC Rev.3).
The CPC 1.0 is a sales publication of the United
Nations (Sales No. E.98.XVII.5, 847 pages, $95.00).
Further information for orders can be obtained
either by visiting the Web site of the United
Nations or by mail at the following address:
United Nations Publications
Room DC2-853, 2 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017, USA
Telephone: (212) 963-8302
Toll Free 1-800-253-9646 (North America only)
Fax: (212) 963-3489
E-mail: publications@un.org
Further information can be found at the following
Web pages:
Mr M. Khalid Siddiqui, Chief, Statistics
Development Section undertook a mission to:
Hawaii (25-31 August):
To represent ESCAP at the 18th Population
Census Conference organized by the East-West
Center, Hawaii, 26-29 August 1998, and to
present a technical paper; and to hold discussions
with the heads of statistical offices on various
issues including cooperation in the
application of new technology to population
data.
Mr Loh, Meng Kow, Chief, Statistical
Information Services Section, undertook a combined
mission to:
Manila (23-24 July):
A joint mission with an official from the
World Bank to visit Asian Development Bank
in Manila to discuss possible financial support
from ADB for the next round of the International
Comparison Programme (ICP) with 1999 as the
reference year; and
Tokyo (27-28 July):
To visit government offices in Japan for discussions
on technical and financial support towards
organizing the next round of the International
Comparison Programme in the ESCAP region.
Mr Ilpo Survo, Programme Officer, undertook
a preparatory mission to:
Taejon and Seoul (21-24 September): for the Seminar on Application
of Information Technology in National Statistical
Offices, funded by the Korea-ESCAP Cooperation
Fund, to be held in December 1998.
Ms Heidi R. Arboleda, Regional Adviser
on National Accounts, undertook the following
missions:
Singapore (13-17
July): To attend the IMF workshop on the General
Data Dissemination System (GDDS) at the IMF
Singapore Training Institute (STI);
Bangladesh (18-24
July): A joint mission with IMF staff members
to help undertake experimental implementation
of GDDS metadata pages;
Philippines (26
July-1 August): To act as a resource person
for the 4-week training workshop on the 1993
System of National Accounts (SNA) on compilation
methodology for technical personnel of National
Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) and
relevant government agencies, Manila, 27-31
July 1998;
India (23 August-3
September): To provide advisory services on
national accounts to the Central Statistical
Organization;
Bangladesh (5-23
September): To advise on the implementation
of the 1993 SNA;
Islamic Republic of
Iran (26 September - 9 October): To conduct
a training workshop on the 1993 SNA, in Tehran.
Mr L.H. Lewis, ESCAP Adviser on Population
Statistics with the UNFPA/CST in Suva undertook
missions to:
Fiji (29 June-7
July): To provide lectures at an IMPS software
training workshop in Suva;
Samoa (11-15 August):
To test the model housing and population census
questionnaire for the 2000 round census for
the Pacific; and assist in developing the
questionnaire for the 1998 demographic health
survey;
Bangkok (24-28
August): Agency visit for consultation;
Viet Nam (31 August-12
September): To assist in conducting and evaluating
a pilot census for the 1999 census of Viet
Nam;
Vanuatu (19-26
September): To test the model population and
housing census, and to assist in preparatory
work for the 1999 census of Vanuatu.
Mr Nuri M. Ozsever, ESCAP Adviser on
Population Data Processing and Database Management
with the UNFPA/CST in Bangkok, visited the following
countries:
Indonesia (2-7
August): To assist BKKBN in assessing whether
the existing MIS software for reproductive
health and family planning is suitable and
economically viable for adoption to cover
the whole country as an integrated and efficient
software for programme management; and to
explore the possibilities for revising the
software.
Ms Luisa T. Engracia, ESCAP Adviser
on Population Statistics with the UNFPA/CST
sub-team in Almaty, moved back to the team Headquarters
in Kathmandu as of 1 August 1998. Thereafter
she undertook a mission to:
Tajikistan (24
September-3 October): To work on country population
assessment.
Publications
released by the Statistics Division
Statistical Indicators
for Asia and the Pacific, Volume XXVIII, No.3,
September 1998
Visitors
to the Statistics Division
Mr Sultan Ahmad,
Statistical Advisory Services, Development
Data Group, International Economics Department,
International Bank for Reconstruction (IBRD),
Washington D.C.
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