Seminar on the use of demographic knowledge for population policy formulation in Latin America. Lima, Peru, 14-17 January 1986. An overview.

The author reports on a seminar on the application of demographic knowledge to population policy in Latin America. "In the absence of reliable empirical evidence, the actual objective of the seminar became an exploration, with Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Bolivia as case studies, of questions such as: what applications, what knowledge, what relationships, what emphases, what transmission mechanisms, what communication channels, what investment by public and private agencies are needed to respond to the demand--actual and potential--for demographic knowledge for policy purposes." The seminar brought together not only academics, but parliamentarians, members of international agencies, and other professionals concerned with population issues. The focus of the discussion was on ways and means of improving existing flows of information and of expanding knowledge available for policy purposes.

REALPOP: a mathematical model for resource allocation in population programs-results from a test in the Dominican Republic.

The structure of a computerized mathematical model for resource allocation in population programs (REALPOP) and its application to the Dominican Republic's national family planning program are described. The model integrates demographic and management science approaches in the analysis of resource allocation, program planning, goal evaluation, and growth strategies of a family planning program. It is designed primarily to aid administrative decision-makers. The Dominican National Population and Family Council (NPFC) established a goal of reducing the crude birth rate from its 1968 level of 48 per thousand population to 28 per thousand in 15 years. Further, the program has established a clear set of program plans and alternatives. This study investigates the implication of these plans for the program's stated goals.