Assesses political, economic, technological, and population changes in order to discern future patterns and social structures.

Twelve population scientists address the questions: What are the major changes that occurred in the 1980s? What created these changes? What major consequences result from these changes for the present and for the future? Included are chapters that give theoretical explanations of social change, discuss the social and ecological effects of high population density, and show the change in population composition, fertility and mortality rates, and migration patterns. In addition to these traditional demographic concerns, the work also provides insights into community redevelopment, poverty, changing family patterns, and ethnic identification.