RAND Publication on Russian demographics

The RAND Population Matters project is pleased to announce the publication of Dire Demographics: Population Trends in the Russian Federation, by Julie DaVanzo and Clifford Grammich.  This report, written for a general audience, reviews available statistics on population trends in the Russian Federation and interpretation of their implications.  In reviewing this work, Cynthia Buckley of the University of Texas praised it for “provid[ing] the opportunity for individuals without any specific background to quickly gain a grounded understanding of the complex demographic processes at work and [for] present[ing] a comprehensive English-language bibliography for those interested in pursuing further reading.”  Sergei V. Zakharov of the Center for Demography and Human Ecology at the Russian Academy of Science noted in his review of the document that “the authors’ style is easy to understand for a wide audience . . . [their] conclusions are always formulated clearly.”

We would greatly appreciate an announcement on the Johnson Russia List of publication of this work.  Interested readers may view its PDF files.  Hard copies of the manuscript may also be ordered for free direct from the RAND web page.  In coming weeks, the Population Matters project will be publishing three policy briefs on this manuscript, summarizing overall research points and implications as well as those specifically related to abortion and contraception and to health and mortality.  I will notify you when these are available.

The Population Matters project seeks to synthesize and communicate the findings and implications of existing research in ways that policy analysts and others will find accessible.  For further information on the project and its publications, readers may visit our web site.

Thank you for your consideration.  Please let Julie DaVanzo or myself know if you have any questions about this work or the Population Matters project.