A sea of islands — a myriad of indicators: on the interface between demography and planning in the Pacific Islands

While in recent years much has been written, and even more spoken, about the interrelationships between population and development, and particularly the importance of acknowledging population parameters in development planning and policy formulation, reality in most Pacific island countries and territories falls short of this rhetoric. Long-term development plans and strategic development frameworks are still compiled without due consideration of demographic circumstances, and economic and public sector reform proceeds in many countries seemingly oblivious of contemporary population dynamics. It is not always lack of basic and timely data that accounts for this malaise, as is evident from a myriad of demographic indicators reported by a variety of government agencies and regional and international organisations. However, these often manage to portray quite different demographic scenarios using identical data sources. This paper examines the institutional and methodological context within which Pacific island population data are collected and demographic information is produced. It concludes by discussing ways in which demography and demographers can contribute towards more realistic planning and policymaking in the Pacific.     

Samoan children's sense of place: Experiential landscapes in an urban village

Pacific Island communities are experiencing significant societal changes as a result of rural urban, inter‐island migration and migration to New Zealand. These relocations have significant implications for children's relationship to place. However, virtually nothing is known about children's sense of place in Samoa or places and activities that are important to them. This exploratory study worked with eight children aged 5–12 years growing up in an urban village in Samoa drawing on ‘Talanoa’ as research methodology and method by employing photo‐elicitation. The study provides a first snapshot of Samoan children's sense of place growing up in an urban village.     

Occupation‐specific analysis of migration and remittance behaviour: Pacific Island nurses in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract: Most previous empirical studies of migration and remittances ignored possible differences among occupational categories of migrants. Where human capital investment decisions and occupational choices are influenced by perceived prospects for international migration, internationally tradable occupations such as nursing are likely to attract individuals with particular attributes and with a stronger propensity to migrate. We argue that this can also affect the remittance behaviour of such occupational groups, pointing to the need for a disaggregated analysis by occupational category. This paper reports the results of a recent survey of nurses in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, and nurse migrants from the same countries in Australia and New Zealand. We also report the findings from a re‐analysis of earlier remittance data from Tongan and Samoan migrants in Australia. Nurse household remittance behaviour is statistically different from others, with nurses remitting more generously and consistently over time. The reasons and implications are explored. The impact and volume of nurse remittances emphasise the sustainability of the migration, remittances, aid and bureaucracy (MIRAB) system.     

Decolonising Pacific research,building Pacific research communities and developing Pacific research tools: The case of the talanoa and the faafaletui in Samoa

In building Samoan academic researcher capacity in Samoa, we argue that there is a need to first establish the kind of researcher community advocated by Linda Tuhiwai Smith, and to do so through developing research tools, such as the talanoa and faafaletui, in partnership with researcher capacity‐building initiatives such as the applied postgraduate social and health research methods course (coded PUBX731‐HSA505) run by the Centre for International Health, University of Otago, in partnership with the National University of Samoa. This paper offers a commentary on the talanoa and faafaletui as Pacific research methodologies, and asks what its value might be for researchers in Samoa. It reflects on the learning experiences of staff and students of the applied social and health research methods course in relation to the talanoa and faafaletui as Pacific research methodologies or methods. It concludes that developing Pacific research and researcher capacity in Pacific Island countries, such as Samoa, must include opening up spaces within these communities to critically engage what is Pacific or Samoan or indigenous about these research tools, methods or methodologies, and how they might differ in form or substance from other methods or methodologies.     

The setting: demographic mosaic of the Asia Pacific region — issues defining the future

The Asia Pacific region is demographically extremely diverse, with respect to both the sizes of national populations and the processes that determine population growth. Nevertheless, it is clear that in the 1990s development planning needs primarily to confront the implications not of continued high fertility, but of often rapid fertility decline to as yet uncertain levels. This paper briefly discusses these themes as a scene-setter for the papers which follow.     

粮食主销区水稻生产格局演变与影响因素的空间扰动研究——以广东为例

为了研究中国粮食生产受经济发展挤占的过程。本研究以全国最大粮食主销区广东省为例,利用空间自相关分析与SDM回归方法对121个县级区域进行空间计量分析,探讨近20年粮食生产变化与区域演变。结果表明：广东省粮食产量空间分布并非随机,而是呈现出逐渐增强的空间集聚性。粮食生产区域变迁受到劳动力转移与资本化的双重驱动,一方面,粮食生产依然是劳动力密集型产业,农业劳动力对粮食产出水平的支撑仍然是目前广东粮食主产区得以存在的主要条件;另一方面,资本进入农业通过推拉作用使粮食产业发生转移。本研究认为要重视粮食生产的地域格局特征对粮食生产政策制定的影响,一方面要科学划定粮食产销县,另一方面要审慎划定粮食和重要农产品生产功能区。