Week 16 Development and Demographic Change in Taiwan (3)

Chapter 2: Growth, Distribution, Composition, and Structure
(Summary by HUONG)

In this chapter, the author described and analyzed the temporal and spatial trends attending the increase in population. The changing distribution of population that accompanied the growth of population will be likewise treated. Finally, shifts in population composition and structure will be reviewed.

1. Growth

The growth of Taiwan’s population was illustrated by the growth rates, the distribution of growth rates, the patterns of growth...

It can be seen from the graph a change of Taiwan’s population between 1945 and 2001. The population increased by some 15.74 million with an average ananual rate of growth of 2.41 percent. The annual growth rates have departed significantly from the overall 56 year average, so too have spatial patterns of growth differed from national averages. The high growth areas are selected suburbs of Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung and Taipei cities. Moreover, these figures 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 described more detail about the spatial patterns of growth.

2. Distribution

- Density: The figure 2.10 shows the changes in both population and physiological density since 1945 display one very clear trend: as population growth has slowed, so too has the increase in population density. In addition, in both maps (2.11&2.12), there are two region of note. First, in the central mountain area townships have densities at or below the world average. Second, along both coasts are broad bands of townships which have densties between the world and Taiwan averages

- Distribution: In this section distribution is analyzed using four methods: visual examination of maps of population distribution, Lorenzs curves and Index of Dissmilarity, center of population, and settlement classfications.

· Maps of population distribution

Population distribution for the beginning and end years of this study are shown in Figure 2.13 and 2.14. several observations can be made. First, as expected, population is not evenly distributed. Second, there appears to be a marked preference for the major population centers and their suburbs.

· Lorenz curves and Index of Dissimilarity

From the graph 2.15, author shows that the population distribution has become increasingly more concentrated over time. The detail of this change are shown in Table 2.1.

· Center of Population

The geographic center of population is analogous to the mean in the measures of the central tendency. In addition, the coordinates of such a fulcrum are determined by summing the weighted population of all the administrative units. This method was used here: a base map of Taiwan was placed over a piece of graph paper with a fine grid and the coordinates estimated from visual approximations of the centers of each city and township. The resulting coordinates were transferred to a map. In 1954, the center of the Taiwan population was located in the southwest corner of Chungliao township, Nantou hsien but in 1995 move to northwestern corner of the Rei-an township, Nantou hsien. The direction of the shift does reinforce the notion that the western coastal plain, and in particular its northwestern section, has evolved as the major focus of population.

· Settlement classifications

The issue of distribution of population across various types of settlements, and especially in urban places, needs to be more formally addressed.

3. Structure

- Demographic structure

Demographic structure and its changes can be reviewed by using three techniques: population pyramids, dependency ratios, and sex ratios.

· Popualtion pyramids

It ia envident that between 1945 and 1998 th population of Taiwan has changed from one similar to a pyramid to one resembling a cartouche. ( Figure 2.19 and 2.20). By the Projected population structure,2020, the Taiwan’s population become older more than. Beside, the spatial distribution of these township was quite varied: along the east and southwestern coasts there were occasional clusters of township. (Figure 2.22, 2.23, 2.24).

· Dependency ratios

Another parallel way to describe and analyze changes in population structure is the set of measures of dependency. Three measure are available: total dependency, the youth index and the pld-age index. Since for Taiwan these three measures do not correlate consistently in either direction or extent, all tree measures will be reviewed. On the othet hand, total dependency has varied spatially in several interesting ways (Figure 2.26& 2.27). the maps of youth index, Figure 2.28 and 2.29, show that in 1963 the areas that ranked high on total dependency were also quite youthful. Similarly, for 1995, the townships on the eastern edge of the central mountains that had high dependency also have a high youth index.

· Sex ratios

- Ethnic structure

Four ethnic gorups are found in Taiwan. In ascending order by populations size they are foreigners, aborigines, Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese. Three aspects of ethnicity was considered here: the origin of population, their size and spatial distribution and the possible demographic implications of ethnicity.

4. Conclusions

Taiwan has experienced major changes in the size, growth rates, distribution, and structure of its population. Some changes, such as aging and increases in sex ratios, are direct results of demographic changes and will result in further demographic changes. All demographic changes have the potential for generating future social problem.

Source:Roger Mark Selya, Development and Demographic Change in Taiwan (1945-1995)

Week14 Development and Demographic Change in Taiwan(2)

 Part 1 Discussion: Cultural and Social Change in Taiwan

 ( Summary by Huong)

Cultural and social changes in Taiwan, resulted from the increase in wealth which economic change produced. However, these changes also occurred because of changes in government policies or because of the social need to resolve tensions which arose because of economic and political changes.

Cultural Change

Cultural change in Taiwan has been seen as the result of resolving three conflicts: tradition versus modernization, national versus foreign, and local versus cosmopolitan. Beside these fundamental conflicts, there is a decided political aspect to cultural change. When the Kuomintang assumed control of Taiwan it had to replace the Japanese cultural orientation with a more Chinese one. Therefore, under KMT regime, Taiwanese were not allowed to identify themselves as Taiwanese but only as Chinese: they were forced learn Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese was forbidden. This is the main reason for cultural and social change ( change in customs, cuisine, religious life…). Furthermore, the presence of multinational service corporations such as McDonalds fostered an important social change: the population came to regard jobs in the service sector positively.

    Social Change

The most fundamental social change has occurred in the field of education. Indeed, education had four major social effects.

 First, education prepared several generations to enter the work force and as a result, both national and personal incomes grew. Increased income led to the development of a new system of social stratification and especially the development of a middle class, albeit one which was not particularly in its concerns, an easing of ethnic tensions, and the rise of ethnic identity, especially amongst the aborigines.

Second, improvements in education and incomes also led to changes in marriage and divorce. In fact, in Taiwan, the rates of marriage experienced a incerease while the rates of divorce was growing from 1945 to 2000. The major reason of this situation that the women have both the knowledge and financial independence to get out of   dyfunctional marriages.

Third, ethnic tensions have declined. In particular, residential segregation seems to have declined, and there has been a convergence of both future expectations and behavior patterns of the Taiwanese and Mainlanders.

Fourth, a well-educated population embraced the rise of social movements and a push for welfare legislation.

Key issue

1.      Why is the cultural and social change in Taiwan?

2.      How is the cultural and social change in Taiwan?

3.      How did cultural and social change impact on the demographic in Taiwan?

Taiwan Outlook -Bridges of Taiwan Culture

Part2: Issues of Education

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. <Link>

Week12 Development and Demographic Change in Taiwan(1)

 

Development and Demographic Change in Taiwan(Roger Mark Selya,2004)

This book describes and analyzes the demographic changes that took place in Taiwan between 1945 and 1995. It uses an interdisciplinary methodology so that different approaches to demographic change can be compared and contrasted. It attempts to evaluate Taiwan’s experience so that lessons for the Third World can be extracted. The content and presentation of the material are deliberately designed to replicate the 1954 work of Barclay, Demographic Change and Colonial Development in Taiwan. As such the book seeks to provide the reasons that economic development without demographic change took place under the Japanese while development with demographic change took place under the Chinese. The volume is richly illustrated with some 82 original maps and graphs.

Link:Development and demographic change in Taiwan

Contents:

• Introduction
• Growth, Distribution, Composition, and Structure
• Fertility
• Mortality, Morbidity, and Public Health
• Migration
• Population Policies
• Summary and Conclusions

 

Week11 Where and Why people move

Key points:

1. Many factors stimulate the migration process. They include conflict, economic conditions, political strife, cultural circumstances, environmental change, and technological advances.
   --> Explain these process with the cases of Asia-Pacific regions.
2. Voluntary migrations such as the movement toward the Sunbelt in North America, are Stimulated by " pull" as well as "push" factors.
   --> Think about the Chinese migrations in the early 19 centuries. Where and why they moved?
3. Not all migrations involve long-term relocation; cyclic and periodic movements are common as well.
   --> For example?
4.  Forced migrations result from the imposition of power by stronger peoples over weaker ones. A modern example is the repatriation of illegal migrants by governments that are unwilling to accept them.
   --> Explain the example and discuss the reason.
5. The voluntary migration of Europeans to the New World, the forced migration of Africans to the Americas, and the migration of Europeans to their overseas colonial empires are among migration streams that have transformed the world.
   --> How about the voluntary migrations in Asia-Pacific region?
6. Internal migrations, involving major population shifts, have occurred in the former Soviet Union, the United States, China, and the Large countries. Mobility is among the qualities that define the character of culture, and American society today is the world's most mobile.
   -->Why American society is the world's most mobile ?
7. Among the important contributors to contemporary populations are refugees fleeing their place of residence in the face of international conflict, ethnic strife, or environment disaster.

2.1 Kids: Stable Population

• Which scientists say it takes 1 person to replace another?
• Where does the 2.1 come from? Wouldn't replacement rate fertility be 2.0?
• The population doesn’t decrease that quickly! People stick around.
• What economic hardships will happen if the fertility rate is too low?
• Why is the replacement rate higher in developing nations?
• Where are you getting these numbers?
• Big deal. If future generations need more people, let them have more kids.

Week10 Policy Response to Demographic Changes

Discussion

1. For many years population geographers and others have been concerned over the continuing rapid growth of the world’s population. But some countries, having traversed the demographic transition, now confront the reality of stable or even declining populations. What are the impacts of negative population growth on countries’ cultural and economic geographies?
   
   
2. Population policies designed to influence the growth of national populations tend to have regional ramifications; that is, their impact varies regionally. Working at the national and sub-national scale, demonstrate how this statement applies to three counties in the Pacific-Asia region that have adopted population policies.

Hans Rosling: Asia's rise -- how and when

Week9 Visiting Academia Sinica

Week8 Process and cycles of population change

Part1 Discussion materails ( Process and cycles of population change)

HOME, a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

home

Warming Up~Discuss the population issues in the move 

Discussion1: The debate of  over population growth and food supply started by Malthus 200 years ago, still continues. Neo-Malthusians argue that Malthus wrote about Britain two centuries ago can be applied to the world as a whole day- recent gains in global food suplies notwithstanding. Take pro- or anti- Malthusian position and argue your case, using your geographic knowledge of population distribution, urbanization, resource avalibity, and demographic processes.

Discussion2: Some argue that the demographic transition model is not necessarily an appropriate tool for understanding likely future population trends in Pacific Aasia countries. What is different about those countries at the time they went through the demographic transition? Are those differences likely to render the demographic transition model inapplicable to Pacific Asia? If so, why? If not, Why not?

Part2 Gapminder Desktop

With Gapminder Desktop you can show animated statistics from your own laptop!

Exercise1:Compare the population issues (Life expectancy, income, health, child mortality..etc.) among the Pacific Aasia countries, and discuss the regional differences.

Exercise2: Using Gapminder Desktop to examine your viewpoints on Discussion1 and Discussion2.

Week6 Fundamentals of population: Location, Distribution, and Density

Part1 Discussion materials (Fundamentals of population: Location, Distribution, and Density)

The study of population is termed demography. The focus of the field of population geography is on the spatial aspects of demography. Demographic problems and issues vary not only from region to region and country to country, but also within countries. Our spatial inquiry leads to some penetrating insights into demographic predicaments.

• Key issues in population geography
• Elements of population geography:
  (1) population and space
  (2) population distribution and density
• Major population concentartions

EXERCISE: Download the Urban and Regional Statistics of Taiwan(2009). Describe how demographic indicators were used in this repot.
http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0001452


Part2 Human development Reports

The first Human Development Report in 1990 opened with the simply stated premise that has guided all subsequent Reports: “People are the real wealth of a nation.” With its wealth of empirical data and innovative approach to measuring development, the Human Development Report had a profound impact on development thinking around the world. Featuring the Human Development Index, every report presents agenda-setting data and analysis and calls international attentions to issues and policy options that put people at the center of strategies to meet the challenges of development.

website:http://hdr.undp.org/en/humandev/

A presentation for UNDP Human Development Report 2005 in English and some other languages. Human Development Trends was produced in 2005.

website: http://www.gapminder.org/downloads/human-development-trends-2005/

Part3 TED TALKS: Hans Rosling's new insights on poverty

Week4 World Population Data Sheet

Part1 2010 World Population Data Sheet
Many countries are facing a shrinking pool of their working-age populations, often considered to be ages 15 to 64, to support the population ages 65+, jeopardizing pension guarantees and long-term health care programs for the elderly.The Population Reference Bureau's 2010 World Population Data Sheet and its summary report offer detailed information on 19 population, health, and environment indicators for more than 200 countries. Let’s talk about these indicators among Asia-pacific regions. (Download the data sheet)

http://www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2010/2010wpds.aspx
EXERCISE: Reviewing the data sheet and compare the indicators between Taiwan and Vietnam.


Part2 Population Data Sheet and Social Explore
Social Explorer provides easy access to demographic information about the United States from 1790 to the present. It is a “contemporary tool” for describing the change of population in US.
http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/home/home.aspx

Part3 The best stats you've ever seen
You've never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called "developing world."

Week3 Thinking Geographically(2)

Part1 How do geographicers Describe where things are?

• Map:Cartographers make especially important decosions in creating a map-scale and porjection.
• Conteporary tools: GIS, Remote Sensing, GPS.
  Global forces, Local Impacts—> Computer mapping services (ex. Google map)

Part 2 Understanding the Conteporary tools

1.What is GIS?

2.What is GPS?

Week2 Thinking Geographically(1)

Part1 Key issues in Human Geography
Key issue : Why is each point on earth unique?

• Place: Unique location of a feature
• Region: Areas of unique characteristics
  1.Cultural landscape
  2.Spatial association
  3.Regional intergration of culture
  4.Cultural Ecology: integrating culture and environment

Key issues : Why are Different Places Similar?

• Scale: from local to global
• Space: Distribution features
• Connection between places

PART2 Historical Maps~David Rumsey Map Collection Database and Blog
The historical map collection has over 26,000 maps and images online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North American and South American maps and other cartographic materials. Historic maps of the World,Europe,Asia, and Africa are also represented.

EXERCISE: Find a historical map of Viernam in 19 century and identify the historical place names.

Week1 Introduction and Course Objectives

Part 1 Introduction and Course Objectives
This course covers the fundamental concepts of population geography, current research topics and some empirical studies on population issues in Asia-Pacific region. Students will learn to examine the complex population change with demographic indexes, and learn how to apply geographic information system (GIS) behind analyzing important current issues in the field of population geography.
Part2 Background Survey of each Student
1.Background Coursework:
2.Computer Experiences
3.Please briefly describe what your thesis/project/internship is about?
4.What do you hope/expect to get from this class?
Part3 What we learned so far?  Discussion of the world population growth.
The world's population will grow to 9 billion over the next 50 years -- and only by raising the living standards of the poorest can we check population growth. This is the paradoxical answer that Hans Rosling unveils at TED@Cannes using colorful new data display technology (you'll see).

Asia's rise -- how and when
Hans Rosling was a young guest student in India when he first realized that Asia had all the capacities to reclaim its place as the world's dominant economic force. At TEDIndia, he graphs global economic growth since 1858 and predicts the exact date that India and China will outstrip the US.