2014 NIDEA Seminar Series
Thursday 13 November 2014
1:00 - 2:00pm
Room I1.09
Professor Chris Andersen, University of Alberta
‘Minding the Gap’: theorizing the population difference between 'Aboriginal identity' and 'Aboriginal ancestry' in the 2011 Canadian National Household Survey
Abstract:
As it has for the previous three decades (or so), Statistics Canada’s official collection of information on Indigenous peoples differentiates between those with Aboriginal ancestry and those who ‘self-identify’ as Aboriginal. In the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS), this gap amounted to roughly 500,000 people, with approximately 1.4 million respondents ‘self identifying’ as Aboriginal, and about 1.9 million respondents marking their Aboriginal ancestry. Keying in on this difference, in this talk I will explore what the gap between these numbers might mean. I will explain why the gap exists and its origins, as well as what it is thought to demonstrate and what it more likely actually demonstrates. Finally, I will set out how I think the relevant survey questions could be altered to better produce data that reflects the stated desires of Indigenous and state-based organizations about what official data is for.
Speaker's Bio:
Chris Andersen is a Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and is currently the Director of the Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research. He is the author of two books including, with Maggie Walter, Indigenous Statistics: A Quantitative Indigenous Methodology (Left Coast Press, 2013) and “Métis”: Race, Recognition and the Struggle for Indigenous Peoplehood (UBC Press, 2014). With Evelyn Peters, he also co-edited the recently published Indigenous in the City: Contemporary Identities and Cultural Innovation (UBC Press, 2013). Andersen was a founding member of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Executive Council, is a member of Statistics Canada’s Advisory Committee on Social Conditions and is editor of the journal Aboriginal Policy Studies. He was recently named to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Thursday 2 October 2014
1:00 - 2:00pm
Room LG.05
Dr Arthur Grimes, Motu Economic & Public Policy Research
Infrastructure’s Long-Lived Impact on Urban Development: Theory and Empirics
Abstract:
We analyse impacts that infrastructure provision and other factors have on long run urban growth. Reflecting a spatial equilibrium approach, growing cities have preferred attributes relative to other cities. Social and transport infrastructure have both productive and amenity value and so may enhance a city’s growth. We outline a new theoretical model that includes distance-related effects on individual utility and thence population location, and we test this model using historical data covering 1926 to 2006 across 56 New Zealand towns. Instruments dating back to 1880 are used to deal with potential endogeneity issues, and we use spatial-econometrics techniques to test for spatial spillovers between cities.
Speaker's Bio:
Arthur has a BSocSc(Hons) from University of Waikato, and completed his PhD in Economics at the London School of Economics in 1987. He is currently Senior Fellow at Motu Research, Adjunct Professor of Economics at the University of Auckland, Associate Board Member of the Financial Markets Authority, and he chairs the Hugo Group. He was Reserve Bank of New Zealand Chair from 2003–2013, and previously had roles as Director of the Institute of Policy Studies (Victoria University of Wellington), Chief Executive of Southpac, and Chief Economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the National Bank of New Zealand. In 2005, Arthur was awarded the NZIER Economics Award recognising excellence in areas of economics that relate to New Zealand’s economic welfare. His current research centres around urban economics, the economics of wellbeing, and central banking (including currency union).
Thursday 11 September 2014
1:00 - 2:00pm
Room LG.05
Dr Robert Didham, Demographer, Statistics New Zealand
Ethnicity and identity: within across and between
Abstract:
Ethnicity and other measures of identity and diversity continue to figure prominently in the discourse of population structures and change. This seminar is in two parts. The first provides a brief overview of how ethnicity and identity are measured in census, with particular reference to the 2013 Census, and how well they are measured, with reference to the 2013 Census Post-enumeration Survey. A number of implications devolve from these two questions. The second part of the seminar draws on the themes from current research to illustrate changes that have contributed to the present observed patterns. Two of the developing themes in the field of ethnicity - ethnic mobility and inter-ethnic partnering - will be used as examples and will introduce the power of the linked census data sets. While the work on the relationship between ethnic mobility and partnering is only beginning, some initial work suggests that this is likely to produce a deeper understanding of social processes, including transformation and complexification of identity, family formation dynamics, migrant integration, intersecting diasporas, fertility patterns and population aging.
Speaker's Bio:
Robert Didham is a geographer and Buddhologist based in Christchurch. He is a demographer with Statistics New Zealand and a research associate of the NIDEA, Waikato University. He has interests in cultural diversity and migration histories in New Zealand, the theory and expression of ethnicity and identity, and population change. He has written on many aspects of demography, including ethnicity, language, intermarriage, fertility, history and migration. He has a special interest in diaspora studies and populations both in and from Asian and the Pacific. Among his current research themes are questions concerning ethnic mobility, ethnogenesis, language retention and acquisition, and religion, looking at how these themes contribute to an understanding of social and demographic change. Robert holds post graduate qualifications in geography, Pacific studies, English language and literature, Buddhology and Iranian studies.
Thursday 7 August 2014
1:00 - 2:00pm
Room LG.05
Dr Michèle E. M. Akoorie, Department of Strategy and Human Resource Management, Waikato Management School, University of Waikato
Globalisation and Immigration in New Zealand: The Role of Emotional Labour
Abstract:
International migration of people is a distinctive feature of globalisation. The term globalisation refers to economic, technological, socio-cultural and political change processes which enhance interconnectedness and interdependency of regions, countries, societies, communities, organisations and people. Among the total international migrants, more developed regions attract the most migrants. New Zealand provides some incentives that attract migrants to move from their original countries with the ‘business/skilled’ migrants accounting for 62 per cent of the total applicants for residency (2010). The literature suggests that skilled immigrants in New Zealand perceive a mismatch of expectations with reality. By interviewing 25 immigrants in this category who moved here after the late 1990s we conclude that skilled immigrants from ethnic minority groups and non-English speaking countries experienced significant discrimination. This results in feelings of resentment, anxiety and discomfort which resonates with the extant literature on emotional labour which argues that genuinely felt emotions, and emotions required to be displayed, can cause emotional dissonance and lead to job dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion in the workplace. This is joint research with Suzette Dyer and Paresha Sinha.
Speaker's Bio:
Dr Michèle Akoorie is Professor of International Management in the Department of Strategy and Human Resource Management, Waikato Management School, The University of Waikato, New Zealand. She is a graduate of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, holds an MBA (distinction) in Export Management and International Business from City University, London (now the Sir John Cass Business School) and a DPhil from the University of Waikato. Michèle has published several books and a number of journal articles in her specialist fields of foreign direct investment, small firm internationalisation and clusters and industrial districts. She also specializes in research in Asia, with particular reference to China. Her publications in this field include outsourcing in China, clusters and competitive advantage in the hosiery industry in China and knowledge transfer in Sino-American joint ventures. Michèle is currently on the Editorial Boards of a number of Asian specific journals. She has also been recognised for her excellence in teaching, winning awards from the Waikato Management School, the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for Teaching Excellence and a National Tertiary Teaching Award in the category of sustained excellence.
Thursday 10 July 2014
1:00 - 2:45pm
Room I1.09
Active Ageing - How do older people participate positively in society?
Over the last decade, there has been an emphasis on encouraging older people to be more active in society, rather than disengage from activity. With the projected increase in the numbers of older people (65+ years) in New Zealand from 553,000 in 2009 to 1.07 million in 2031, there is a growing concern about the cost of this cohort, but also a recognition of the contribution older people can make.
This seminar sets out what we know about the activities of older people in three areas: what constitutes meaningful life for older people; the participation of older people in the digital age; and their participation in paid employment. It draws on interviews with older people, employers and policy makers, along with Census and other administrative data. The seminar will also include policy suggestions.
This seminar marks the end of a two year research project funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to investigate the research question, ”How do Older People Participate Positively in Society”. The research team includes Professor Peggy Koopman-Boyden, and Drs Margaret Richardson, Michael Cameron and Judith Davey, who will present findings (in that order) on the three topics. They will be joined by Dr Tim Adair, CEO of the National Seniors Australia, Productive Ageing Centre, Melbourne, to provide a critique of the research and an international comparison.
NOTE: With five speakers, this seminar will run from 1pm to 2.45pm. It will be followed by afternoon tea at NIDEA, 3rd floor, K block.
Thursday 12 June 2014
1:00 - 2:00pm
Room I1.05
Dr Michael Cameron, University of Waikato
Developing a systems-based multi-region stochastic population projections model for New Zealand
Abstract:
Most sub-national population projections are undertaken using one of two methods: (1) top-down, where a national population projection model is run initially, then sub-national models are undertaken and subsequently moderated to ensure that the sum of the sub-national projections is equal to the national projection; or (2) bottom-up, where sub-national projections are run without recourse to a national projection, commonly with these sub-national projections each being independent (though often with a common set of underlying assumptions). The former method is that preferred by Statistics New Zealand, whereas many consulting firms, and NIDEA, have typically adopted the latter.
In this paper, which is joint work with Professor Jacques Poot, we present an alternative to the bottom-up sub-national population projections model, wherein gross migration between pairs of regions in New Zealand is modelled using a set of age-sex-specific gravity models. Our prototype model allows all inter-regional migration flows to be estimated and projected in a common framework with a single set of assumptions. This method offers a number of advantages over traditional methods, in particular that factors known to affect migration flows (such as economic factors, climate, etc.) can be explicitly (based on regression modelling) incorporated into the population projections in a transparent and justifiable manner. Furthermore, we extent the prototype model to allow for stochastic (probabilistic) projections to be undertaken.
Speaker's Bio:
Dr. Michael Cameron is a senior lecturer in economics at the University of Waikato, and a research associate of NIDEA. His current research interests include population, health and development issues (including the social impacts of liquor outlet density, the economics of communicable diseases especially HIV/AIDS, health applications of non-market valuation, and health and development project monitoring and evaluation), population modelling and stochastic modelling, financial literacy and economics education.
Thursday 5 June 2014
1:00 - 2:00pm
Room I1.05
Professor Peter Batey, University of Liverpool, UK
Regional forecasting and the spatial planning system: some reflections on recent British experience
Abstract:
This presentation looks at forecasting and its relationship with the spatial planning system, at the regional and sub-regional levels. In the first of three main sections it considers the principles, among them consistency and integration, that need to be taken into account in the design of a forecasting system. In a second section it looks at how forecasting has been carried out in practice, in the British context, drawing on the author’s experience as a member of the North West Regional Forecasting Panel, a pioneering attempt to harness the knowledge and experience of senior industrialists in producing short-term and long-term forecasts. In a final section it considers some of the issues facing forecasters in Britain today, including the removal of the regional tier of planning and the impact of an economic recession which upsets the making of trend-based projections.
Speaker's Bio:
Peter Batey is Lever Professor of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Liverpool. Before joining the University, he worked as a planning analyst for two large local authorities in North West England, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Over a career of more than forty years, Peter has developed an international reputation for his work in the fields of demographic-economic modelling and geodemographics. Peter is a Fellow of the Regional Science Association International, serving as its President in 1997-98. He plays an active part in regional affairs, and during the last ten years worked closely with the North West Regional Development Agency on regional forecasting. Peter is a co-editor of the Town Planning Review, one of the leading international journals in the field. He holds degrees in geography, planning and regional science and is an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Thursday 1 May 2014
1:10 - 2:00pm
Room I1.05
Professor Natalie Jackson, NIDEA, University of Waikato
Subnational depopulation in New Zealand – causes and consequences
Abstract:
The first data release from the 2013 Census was accompanied by the statement that between 2006 and 2013, most of New Zealand’s 16 regions grew, with just two declining in size. This was true at Regional Council level. At Territorial Authority (TA) level, where 67 administrative units are enumerated, 20 declined in size (30 per cent), up from 15 (22 per cent) 2001-2006, and at Census Area Unit (CAU) level, 33 per cent of the 1,869 CAUs declined, up from 25 per cent 2001-2006. This paper outlines the deepening trend of rural and non-urban depopulation in New Zealand, placing it in its broader (global) context and raising some of its implications. The paper draws on early output from a recently awarded Marsden, and also an MBIE-funded project under which New Zealand’s first demographic accounting model has been developed, and which assists in explaining the nature of the trends.
Speaker's Bio:
Natalie Jackson is Professor of Demography at the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis (NIDEA) at the University of Waikato, and was the Institute’s Foundation Director. She has a PhD in Demography from the Australian National University, and a Master of Social Science in Demography and Anthropology for the University of Waikato. Most of her work focuses on regional population ageing and the demography of local government areas in New Zealand and Australia.
Thursday 27 March 2014
1:10 - 2:00pm
Room I1.05
Dr Brian Easton, Economic and Social Trust on New Zealand
The Long Term Prospects for Health Spending
Abstract:
Last year the Treasury released its long term fiscal projections which look up to 40 years out. Although initially the big concern was demographic change and New Zealand superannuation, it soon became clear that a major issue was public sector health spending. Brian, who was on the group advising the Treasury on the projections, will explain the population and health projections and outline what they might mean for public policy. The projections are at http://www.treasury.govt.nz/government/longterm/fiscalposition/2013
Speaker's Bio:
Dr Brian Easton has had a long involvement in health economics and in economic forecasting (and has made occasional forays into demographic analysis). He is currently writing a history of New Zealand from an economic perspective .which includes an account of the history of the health system and which is heavily dependent on the analysis of population change (especially where the economic data are deficient). Brian is Research Associate of the National Institute for Demographic and Economic Analysis and an Honorary Fellow of the Wellington School of Medicine of the University of Otago. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, a Chartered Statistician, and a Member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and a Distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Economic Association.
Wednesday 19 February 2014
1:10 - 2:00pm
Room KG.01
Professor In-Jin Yoon, Department of Sociology, Korea University
Brain Circulation of South Korean Students in Japan and China
Abstract:
This presentation is based on an empirical comparative analysis of South Koreans studying at institutions of higher education in Japan and China. Focusing on the phenomenon of ‘regionalization of higher education,’ the study examines South Korean students’ mobility within Asia and the transferability of human capital. Data for this study came from a larger survey of Asian students who were enrolled as international students in South Korea, Japan and China. The survey was conducted between October 2012 and April 2013. Of the 1,036 students who participated in the survey, this study draws on data from 135 Korean students in Japan and 188 Korean students in China. Findings on students’ future career plans reveal that 40-50 percent of Korean students plan to return home five years after studying abroad and about 20 percent plan to migrate to a third country. Considering these statistics, the mobility of Korean students within Asia is closer to brain circulation than brain drain or brain gain. Also, many Korean students believe that their education from the home country is transferable in the host country, and that their education abroad is recognized both in their home as well as in a third county.
Speaker's Bio:
In-Jin Yoon is a Professor in the Department of Sociology, Korea University. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and taught previously at the Asian American Studies Department of the University of California, Santa Barbara. His major publications include On My Own: Korean Businesses and Race Relations in America, Korean Diaspora: Migration, Adaptation, and Identity of Overseas Koreans, North Korean Migrants: Lives, Consciousness, and Support Policy for Resettlement, South Koreans’ Perceptions of Migrant Workers and Multicultural Society, Migration and Transnational Space in Northeast Asia, Mutual Perceptions of North Korean Migrants and South Koreans, Trends and Tasks of Studies of Koreans Abroad, and The History of Koreans Abroad. His research interests include social psychology, minorities, international migration, and multiculturalism.