The contribution of existing sources to the dating of events: a survey in Mali's Bwa country

"We exploited the sources of information already existing in Mali's Bwa country in order to facilitate the dating of biographical events. Their contribution was multiple: they gave an exact date for a substantial number of births (25%), they provided dating landmarks within the biographies (in two thirds of birth histories, at least one birth could thus be pinpointed), and they made it possible to construct sets of dating references at the family level (lineage calendars). Based on the same principle of chronological classification as the historical calendar, the lineage calendar improves the method by replacing public events by family events with which the respondents are more familiar (births and deaths of kin)."

[When people born in French overseas departments return home to retire. A survey of intentions]

"Almost half of...over-45s born in French overseas departments and living in mainland France had plans to return overseas by the year 2000. The desire to return is more clear-cut among the 50 to 54 year olds. The younger people have yet to think seriously about retirement, whilst a number of the oldest individuals have already made definite plans." Data are from a survey carried out in 1992. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND GER AND SPA)

[The population explosion in Algeria: the causes, the effects, and the solutions]

"For decades Algeria has had one of the highest population growth rates in the world, arising directly from a steady gap between deathrates and birthrates. The reasons are of a complex social, economic and cultural kind, such as high infant mortality, traditionally early marriage, family models largely determined by religion, the common practice of child labour and other factors. As a consequence of the mismatch between economic and demographic growth the society is confronted by growing mass unemployment, underemployment, food supply problems, housing shortages and ecological crises. The critical economic situation in the eighties reduced the prospects for constraining the population explosion by quickly conquering socioeconomic underdevelopment. Nowadays Algeria is deliberately following a programme for family planning, which is also supported to a certain extent by the Islamic clergy." (SUMMARY IN ENG)