Asia-Pacific Population Journal - Volume 28, Issue 2, 2014

The impact of marriage, contraception, induced abortion and postpartum infecundability on fertility decline in Viet Nam between 1997 and 2002 are examined in the present paper. The authors use a Bongaarts model to determine the contribution of each factor to fertility changes in Viet Nam, based on data obtained from the 1997 and 2002 rounds of the Viet Nam Demographic and Health Survey. The authors show that there are significant differences between rural and urban areas. The study reveals that in urban areas, the decline in fertility can be attributed mainly to delayed marriage, an increase in induced abortion and increased postpartum infecundability, while the contribution of the increased use of contraceptives is negligible. In rural areas, the decreasing proportion of married women, contraceptive use and induced abortion are the main factors responsible for the decline in fertility. The authors also find that the high incidence of induced abortions can largely be attributed to limited use of modern contraceptive methods.

The present study estimates the fertility-inhibiting effects of the four important proximate determinants, namely marriage, contraception, induced abortion and post-partum infecundability in Viet Nam. It is based on using data obtained from the 1997 and 2002 round of the Viet Nam Demographic and Health Survey (VNDHS). The Bongaarts model is used to determine the contribution of the proximate determinants in fertility change. The analysis shows that the major factors responsible for fertility change are the proportion of married women, level of contraceptive use and induced abortion in rural Viet Nam. In urban areas, induced abortion, post-partum infecundability and the proportion of married women have been found to be major determinants in fertility change during the above period, whereas contraceptive use has had a marginal effect on it. The estimated total fertility rate (TFR) is probably smaller than the actual one and the difference between the two has narrowed over the period.

In the present paper, labour income, consumption and the life-cycle deficit (LCD) by gender for India is considered. From the individual’s perspective, private and public consumption for education, health and other goods and services has been taken into account. For either sex, the share of public consumption is about 17 per cent of the total consumption for health, education and others. Throughout the life cycle, the per capita annual labour income of a woman is lower than that of a man; even at the peak age of earning, it is only about one-sixth of a man’s per capita labour income at the corresponding age. Though a male consumes more for health, education and other goods and services, the gender gap is not as wide as that of income from labour. At the per capita level, a male experiences a monetary surplus during the working age range of 20 to 64 years and faces a life-cycle deficit only before entering the labour market and during old age, but a female must deal with a life-cycle deficit all through the life cycle.

The objective of this research was to study the role of labour broker networks in fixing the price for Thai migrants to work abroad. In order to understand the role of these networks, it was necessary to focus on two specific research questions. The first question was how these labour broker networks are formed; and the second question was why, or for what purposes, are these networks being created. Data was collected through in-depth interviews as well as participatory and non-participatory observations with 37 key informants who were labour brokers belonging to legal labour agencies and labour sub-brokers. Key informants were selected by a snowball technique from Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, and Nongkhai. Data analysis was done using the ATLAS.ti program. The study found that the labour broker networks in the north-east of Thailand are loosely established through ties formed via cultural or community activities without any formal organization. In the main, these networks are set up on the basis of personal relationships among members. The rationale behind the establishment of these networks is to maintain personal relationships and to exchange work-related information. The results of the study indicated that the social networks of labour brokers are informal, and that these networks are linked to other networks that exist among labour brokers and sub-brokers forming larger local and regional networks. The costs incurred by Thai migrant workers having recall to the services of labour broker networks forms part of the overall cost of working abroad. Moreover, it was found that in some cases labour sub-brokers had provided loans to Thai labourers to cover the costs of travelling abroad.

In this paper, we show that health insurance and health-care services have been expanded in Viet Nam over the past decade and had the potential to reach various groups of older persons (defined as those aged 60 or more). Yet, a number of challenges still remain that greatly influence the current health-care system as regards affordability and adequate service provision. The most critical of these issues is that the most vulnerable groups among older persons have lower access rates and a greater financial burden (that is, out-of-pocket expenses). To deal with those issues, we suggest certain policy directions, including developing communal health systems and guaranteeing the financial sustainability of the health insurance fund by monitoring both service providers and users.

Original contributions are invited, especially papers by authors from or familiar with the Asian and Pacific region. Ideally, such papers would discuss the policy and/or programme implications of population issues and solutions to problems, reporting on experiences from which others could benefit