Suchergebnisse

The changes in population structure currently taking place in both developed and less‐developed nations are part of a very long‐term trend of demographic change that has yet to run its full course. The starting point of this trend is the complete rearrangement of demographic regimes characterised by significant declines in mortality coupled with widespread fertility control. This process started in a small group of European and non‐European societies during the nineteenth century and by the second half of the twentieth century had spread to much of the world. It has brought with it significant economic and social implications for societies affected which have differed by the timing of the transition but not in their basic thrust. Eventually the demographic transition promises to bring with it very rapid and widespread ageing and, within a few decades, world population decline. Some of the long‐term economic implications of this entire process are discussed in this article.

ABSTRACTHistorical literacy in Spain is characterised by enormous regional disparities and important differences by sex. This paper addresses these issues, focusing initially on the 1887 census returns and also making use of local empirical data and of in-depth interviews of elderly informants. The goal is to propose an interpretation of historical patterns of literacy based, to a large extent, on the existence of important differences in the perceived value of literacy and education, very high in some regions and very low in others. The author argues that these cleavages go beyond the importance of economic structures, have deep historical roots and continue to be present in contemporary Spain despite the substantial growth in educational attainment taking place during this past century.

AbstractDisparities in reproductive behavior visible in the developed world are a long‐term implication of the demographic transition. While present at the very outset of the transition, their effects are most visible once childhood mortality loses its relevance as a key constraint on reproduction. These disparities are rooted in the type of society that emerged as the result of the way the historical role of the family and individual in society interacted with social and economic modernization processes characterizing the entire century, but especially visible during the rapid acceleration of social and cultural changes after mid‐century. The way these new societies function provides a necessary backdrop for understanding fertility in a world of individual reproductive choice and competing goals. The result is that traditionally individualistic societies tend to fare better than societies where family loyalties are and have always been a cornerstone of society. Disparities in fertility are rooted in the incentives and disincentives for reproduction present in society, are unlikely to disappear anytime soon and are leading to very different rates of aging in the developed world.

RESUMENEste trabajo aborda la integración de los distintos mercados regionales de grano en España durante el Antiguo Régimen. Haciendo uso de series de precios y de producción de diversa procedencia, el autor emplea técnicas de estimación relativamente sencillas, desde correlaciones y desviaciones típicas de series sin tendencia hasta modelos de retardos distribuidos. Estas técnicas revelan la existencia de una covariación entre los precios de granos en distintos mercados regionales, así como la existencia de efectos simultáneos y retardados de la producción de granos sobre el precio de los mismos en mercados locales y bastante más lejanos. El autor concluye que existía una integración modesta pero en aumento de los distintos mercados en la Península, sobre todo durante el siglo XVIII, y que las instituciones eran capaces de amortiguar en parte los efectos de una cosecha fallida. El trabajo concluye apuntando el calendario posible de la progresiva integración de los mercados de grano ocurrida a lo largo de buena parte del siglo XIX en España.

Spain displays the greatest diversity of marriage patterns of any European country. This analysis of provincial data considers both the timing of marriage and celibacy from 1887 to 1930. As expected, demographic and economic factors, such as the marriage market and population density, exerted a substantial influence on nuptiality. Cultural patterns, represented here by inheritance practices, also played a pivotal role. Intense nuptiality can be found in areas of high mortality, partible inheritance, balanced marriage markets, moderate out-migration by both sexes, low population density, and professions which facilitated marriage.

The present article presents some of the more salient results of a research project on family and society in the province of Cuenca in Spain between the eighteenth century and 1970. Based fundamentally, though not exclusively, on the Laslett-Hammel classification system, the data gathered reveal the overwhelming predominance of simple family forms throughout the province and in different social groups, as well as the lack of any fundamental evolution during the more than 200 years studied. The determinants of the system, its implications, as well as the reasons for its long-term stability, are all examined in the light of demographic, economic, geographical and cultural factors.