Demographic Diversity and Change in the Central American Isthmus

The chapters in this volume were originally presented at the International Conference on the Population of the Central American Isthmus, organized by the Central American Population Program (PCP) at the University of Costa Rica in collaboration with colleagues at RAND. Both the papers at the conference and the subset that are included in this volume represent research in a broad range of disciplines including demography, public health, anthropology, history, sociology, human ecology, and economics. The conference played an important role in bringing together an international group of researchers working on related issues in the region. The objective of this volume is to provide, in one central location, a collection of recent research on demographic, social, and environmental issues in the Central American Isthmus for English-speaking readers, both those who are not familiar with the region and those who know it well. For Spanish-speakers, the same collection of papers has been independently published as De los Mayas a la planificación familiar: DemografÍa del Istmo (L. Rosero Bixby, A. Pebley, and A. Bermúdez Méndez, editors) by the Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica.This book is the first English-language collection of recent research on demographic, social, and environmental issues in Central America. The region's experience with ethnic and cultural identity provides food for thought for scholars concerned with the meaning of ethnicity and the consequences of cultural change. Countries in the region also have grapppled with the complex issues of promoting economic growth and reducing poverty while avoiding environmental destruction. The chapters in this volume provide important and often novel insights into these and many other demographic, social, and policy issues in the Central American Isthmus. For the first time in the English language, Central America's rich demographic history comes into focus in this volume. Editors Anne R. Pebley and Luis Rosero-Bixby provide the first and only English translations of works originally presented at the International Conference on the Population of the Central American Isthmus. The chapters in this volume offer insights on a broad range of subjects, including estimates of the indigenous population, differences in education and earnings, trends in fertility and maternal and child health, migration, the environment, and many other demographic, social, and policy issues in the region.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Centro Centroamericano de Población (CCP