Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Postdoctoral Fellowship in South Asian Studies

The South Asian Studies Council (SASC) at the MacMillan Center invites applications for post- doctoral position at Yale University for AY 2018-2019. Candidates must have research and teaching experience relevant to modern and contemporary South Asia, in the humanities or social sciences.

All applicants should have in-depth knowledge of at least one SA-related language and fluency in English; and must have completed the PhD by the time of appointment. The post-doctoral associate will teach one course in each of two terms related to his/her interests, pursue his/her own research, and participate in the activities of the South Asian Studies Council.

Qualifications

Candidates must have research and teaching experience relevant to modern and contemporary South Asia, in the humanities or social sciences.

All applicants should have in-depth knowledge of at least one SA-related language and fluency in English; and must have completed the PhD by the time of appointment.

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit a cover letter, one-page description of research plans; a draft of a course syllabus and a title and brief summary of a second course; a CV; names and contact information of two references. Compensation includes an annual salary of $50,000 – $55,000, depending on rank and seniority of the selected individual, and health coverage.

We will accept applications immediately with review beginning on January 31, 2018 and continuing until the selections are final.

All information from the applicant should be submitted electronically through Interfolio. Uploaded PDF copies of signed reference letters will be accepted but signed hard copies should be mailed to the address below.

Ms. Kasturi Gupta, Program Manager, South Asian Studies Council, The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, 34 Hillhouse Avenue, P.O. Box 208206 New Haven, CT 06520-8206 USA. Email: kasturi.gupta@yale.edu

Research Fellowships at Institute for Advanced Study

The Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST), France, invites applications for Research Fellowships, from 1st September 2018:

We welcome applications from researchers within a large range of disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences: anthropology, biology, economics, history, law, mathematics, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology, though motivated applications from outside these disciplines will be given full consideration. Successful applicants will have demonstrated an interest in, and a commitment to, at least one of the other disciplines of IAST.

We seek candidates with a strong research background in their own discipline, but willing and able to develop research projects drawing on IAST’s substantial interdisciplinary resources, including particularly the proximity of strong groups in economics (Toulouse School of Economics, TSE). We are open to a variety of research methods, including theory, field and laboratory experiments, observational field work, and the analysis of large secondary data sets. All research interests relevant to the broad study of human behavior are welcome, but interests close to those already developed at IAST will be given special consideration, including, to cite only a few:

In history: quantitative economic history (cliometrics), empirical political economy in history, qualitative economic or social history.
In biology: theoretical models of evolution (applied to family structure, strategic interactions, plasticity, cognition, learning, cultural evolution); related empirical work.
In anthropology: human biology, life history theory, human development and plasticity, health and infectious disease, aging, demography, host-parasite co-evolution, diet and nutrition, global health, evolutionary medicine and genetics.
In political science: public opinion and public policies, comparative studies of democratic institutions, democracy and development, experimental political science, studies of networks and their impact of individual and collective action.
In law: law and economics, corporate governance, criminology.
In psychology: cognition, the emotions, social trust, gender, group decision-making.
In sociology: network formation, the impact of networks on social outcomes, sociology of religion.

Eligible applicants

Active researchers who have or will have completed their PhD after January 2015 and before September 2018. The IAST offers candidates an opportunity to devote themselves full time to their research at the start of their careers. Motivated applications will be considered from candidates whose PhDs were completed in 2014 or earlier; please explain your reasons in your cover letter.

Conditions

Fellows are provided with office space, computer facilities and a contract for two years, renewable for a third year.

All applications need to be sent through our website before December 31, 2017.

Assistant Professor of Social Work

The School of Social Work within the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), seeks candidates for a 9 month, tenure-track position for appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin August 13, 2018. Upon initial appointment responsibilities include: teaching in the BSW and MSW programs, advising BSW students, research and scholarship, and providing service to the profession, school, college, university and the community. Currently, the typical teaching load for research-active faculty is three courses per semester.

Qualifications include an accredited Master’s Degree in Social Work and a PhD in Social Work or a related field. Persons who are ABD will be considered. The doctorate is required by August 1, 2018 for appointment as Assistant Professor for the 2018-2019 academic year; otherwise, it must be obtained within first academic year of employment. Qualified candidates will demonstrate potential for excellent teaching and scholarly productivity. Candidates should be able to teach in at least two areas of the BSW and MSW Foundation curriculum.

Persons interested in teaching practice must have at least three years of direct practice experience. Those candidates who qualify for clinical licensure are preferred. Candidates who have research, teaching, and/or practice experience with diverse populations are preferred.

Priority consideration will be given to applications received by the Priority Date (January 2, 2018); however, applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Visit the link below to learn more and apply.

Author Meets Critic: “Health Care as a Right of Citizenship: The Continuing Evolution of Reform”

Gunnar Almgren, School of Social Work, UW
Paul Burstein, Department of Sociology, UW

While the Obama administration’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has expanded health care coverage for millions of Americans, it has fallen short in offering universal health care to all. In Health Care as a Right of Citizenship, Gunnar Almgren argues that the ACA’s primary significance is not in its expansion of health care entitlements but in its affirming by an act of Congress the idea that comprehensive health care must be available to all as a right of citizenship. The mainstream American public now views access to affordable health care to all citizens as a crucial function of just and effective governance—and any proposed alternative to the ACA must be reconciled with that expectation. This ambitious book examines how the American health care system must be further reformed to bring it closer in line with the ideals of a modern democracy, as well as how the ACA may change in the coming years. It suggests the next, natural step in the realization of health and well being as a fundamental human right.

Based on a close analysis of the writings of sociologist TH Marshall and philosopher John Rawls, this book examines the theoretical foundations for health care as a social right of citizenship. Almgren then translates these theoretical principles into core health care policy aims. Throughout, he argues that the ACA is but an evolutionary step toward a more radical and fundamental health care reform. Almgren suggests how such a restructured health care system might operate, with specific proposals for its financing and delivery systems. He also explores the special issues and considerations that all nations must grapple with as they seek to provide a sustainable social right to health care.

Pre-PAA African Population, Environment and Health Mini-Conference

The CU Population Center at the Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder is pleased to host an African Population, Environment and Health Mini-Conference immediately prior to the 2018 Population Association of American conference in nearby Denver. The mini-conference will feature a keynote address, presentation sessions and small discussion workshops focused around key themes in African population, environment and health. There will be ample time for discussion and exchange.

The mini-conference will take place on Wednesday, April 25th from 9am-5pm. Transportation to and from the PAA hotel in Denver will be provided on Wednesday morning and evening. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for participants.

Applications are required to ensure adequate space and to identify key thematic areas for workshops. In your submission, please indicate interest in participating in workshops and/or presenting. Participants will be selected based on the quality of the abstract and research alignment with thematic areas that emerge in the selection process.

To apply, please submit a CV and a brief statement of research interests in African population, environment and/or health. If interested in presenting, please also submit an extended abstract (2-pages) of your research manuscript.

The deadline for application is January 10, 2018. Please submit application materials to Jessica.LaRue@colorado.edu. Decisions will be made by February 1, 2018.

For additional information, contact Sara.Yeatman@ucdenver.edu.

Sarah Elwood Discusses Approaches to Addressing Poverty

Affiliate Sarah Elwood, Professor of Geography, was quoted last week in a Yes! Magazine article on the science behind reducing inequality. In the article, Elwood discusses how big data is changing the way social scientists and activists approach poverty-related work. “We’re seeing more of these sorts of practices that sort of try to get at the behaviors of individual people and try to get them to do something different,” she said. Elwood also addresses nudge policies, which she believes are capable of influencing individual behavior to drive change, but not of fixing the structural issues that contribute to poverty. “It’s important to differentiate between questions of inequality and questions of impoverishment. You can change the degree of inequality in a society without having acted to change the big processes of impoverishment.” The full article is accessible below.

Training Spotlight: Jessica Godwin and Adrian Raftery Evaluate Projection Method for Life Expectancy in Nations with HIV/AIDS Epidemics

CDSE Fellow Jessica Godwin—a graduate student in the Department of Statistics—and affiliate Adrian Raftery—Professor of Statistics and Sociology—recently published their article “Bayesian projection of life expectancy accounting for the HIV/AIDS epidemic” in Demographic Research. In the article, Godwin and Raftery expand Bayesian probabilistic projection methods previously developed by Raftery and colleagues in order to include measures of HIV prevalence and antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage for adults in life expectancy projections for countries suffering from generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics. Their findings demonstrate that the projection method that accounts for HIV prevalence and ART coverage in these countries performs better than methods that do not. Moreover, these projections indicate that broad ART coverage in these countries would not only improve life expectancy to pre-epidemic levels, but also lead to a continued increase in life expectancy over the course of the century. The full article is available below.

René Flores on How Policy Affects Anti-Immigrant Sentiments

Affiliate René Flores, Assistant Professor of Sociology, was quoted in a recent KMALAND article regarding his study “Do Anti-Immigrant Laws Shape Public Sentiment? A Study of Arizona’s SB 1070 Using Twitter Data,” published in the American Journal of Sociology in September. In the study, Flores finds that anti-immigrant sentiments in Arizona increased once the bill was passed, demonstrating how policies can affect public behaviors. In the article, he explains, “Some people, especially those who are more critical of immigrants, began tweeting more. They became energized, they became activated and this was what caused the change in the distribution of sentiment after (the) law was passed. So, it’s really in agreement with my own prior research that showed this activation effect.” The full article is available below.

Conference on the Postponement of Parenthood

Call for Papers
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Bocconi University cordially invite submissions to a conference on the Postponement of Parenthood, with support from the European Research Council.

Please visit http://www.demogr.mpg.de/go/costpost2018 for more information and the latest updates.

Venue and Dates
The conference will take place September 3-6, 2018 at Villa Vigoni, Lake Como, Italy.

Meeting Description
The secular increase in the mean age at childbearing is one of the most notable demographic developments of recent decades. This conference will take a multidisciplinary stance to explore the causes and consequences of this process, in order to assess its costs and gains. We welcome the submission of research papers on the potential consequences of childbearing at older ages for the health and well-being of parents, children, and populations, as well as the cultural, socioeconomic, technological, and policy factors that may explain why parents are delaying childbearing to older ages. Submissions from all disciplines are welcome. The conference will feature keynote speeches, oral presentations, poster sessions, as well as formal and informal opportunities for group discussion and exchange.

Submission Process
We invite you to submit extended abstracts (2-4 pages) or full papers. Please direct all submissions to costpost2018@demogr.mpg.de by February 15th 2018.

Any conference related inquiries may also be directed to costpost2018@demogr.mpg.de.

Submitters will be notified about selection decisions by March 15th 2018.

Financial Support
Participants are expected to seek their own funding for travel to the conference venue. Accommodation costs and meals at Villa Vigoni during the conference will be covered by the organisers. Financial support for travel may be available for junior scientists, but this will be assessed on a competitive basis and the request for such funding must be indicated at the time of abstract/paper submission.

Organising Committee
Mikko Myrskylä (MPIDR, LSE, Helsinki)
Kieron Barclay (MPIDR, LSE, Stockholm)
Sebastian Klüsener (MPIDR, Vytautas Magnus University)
Alice Goisis (LSE, MPIDR)
Francesco Billari (Bocconi University)

Fall CSDE Trainee Lightning Talks and Poster Session

Please join us for our Fall CSDE trainee lightning talks and poster presentations!
The following CSDE trainees will be presenting their research:

Erin Carll, Sociology: Sociodemographic and Housing Market Predictors of Residential Disadvantage for Households with Children
Youngjun Choi, Social Work: Can Internet Use Buffer Older Adults’ Cognitive Decline? Findings from the Health and Retirement Study
Lee Fiorio, Geography: Regularities in Mobility Patterns at Different Time Scales
Connor Gilroy, Sociology: Extending the Demography of Sexuality with Digital Trace Data
Chris Hess, Sociology: Black Hypersegregation, Neighborhood Compositions, and Zillow Housing Value Trajectories 2000-2016
Yuan Hsiao, Sociology: Gender Networks of Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Ecological Fallacy
Yicheng Li, Statistics: Accounting for Smoking in Probabilistic Projections of Life Expectancy
Neal Marquez, Sociology: Estimating Small Area Changes in Child Mortality Over Time in Mexico