Brussels, Belgium
29-31 May 2000
Between 1988 and 1997, as part of the Fertility and Family Surveys (FFS) project co-ordinated by the Population Activities Unit (PAU) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), cross-national comparable data on fertility and the family have been collected in 22 ECE Member States. These surveys have generated a wealth of information for a better description and explanation of recent changes in partnership and fertility behaviour in this part of the world. On 31 December 1999 the FFS project, generously supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) since 1992, will come to an end. To mark that event the FFS Informal Working Group (IWG, consisting of representatives from all countries participating in the FFS project) has decided to organise an end-of-project conference. It has entrusted the FFS Advisory Group (AG, responsible for providing guidance to the PAU on the FFS programme of comparative research) with its organisation. The conference, which will take stock of what is known from FFS as well as from other data on new partnership and fertility behaviour patterns in Europe and North America, will be held from 29 to 31 May in the year 2000. It will be hosted by the Population and Family Study Centre (CBGS) in Brussels, Belgium. The general theme of the conference will be: "Partnership and fertility - a revolution?"
This FFS Flagship Conference will be a scientific conference addressing substantive fertility and family issues, their developments over time and their dynamics from a comparative perspective. It will also discuss policy implications. Five issues have been identified for plenary address (see Conference Programme below).
Each plenary session will start with the presentation of a solicited paper by a well-known population scientist who will speak on the subject for about 30 minutes. This will be followed by a presentation/discussion of a selection of the best papers contributed to each session. Thereafter, the floor will be open for general debate. A chairperson will be responsible for ensuring that the session's programme is adhered to.
Outlines for papers to be contributed should be submitted to the Conference Secretariat as soon as possible but not later than 31 July 1999. Outlines will be 1 page maximum, providing information on at least the following: (1) session number and title for which the paper is intended; (2) name, institutional affiliation, address, position, telephone, fax and e-mail address of the author(s); (3) tentative title of the paper; (4) the issue(s) to be addressed by the paper; (5) method(s) to be employed; (6) data source(s) to be used; and, if applicable, (7) countries to be compared.
Outlines proposing co-operation between participants in different projects of the FFS programme of comparative research who are working on related topics will be particularly welcomed. In September 1999, based on their outlines as submitted, authors will then be informed to start preparing their paper, either as proposed or somehow modified. Papers should be submitted to the Conference Secretariat by 29 February 2000 at the latest.
Authors wishing to contribute a paper based in part or in full on FFS individual-level data that are not yet at their disposal are advised to apply for them as soon as possible. Application forms as well as other materials related to the FFS programme of comparative research are available from the FFS homepage at http://www.unece.org/ead/pau/ffs/fchart.htm. More extensive information on the FFS Flagship Conference is also available from there.
| Monday, 29 May | Opening of the Conference by a Representative of the Belgian Morning Government |
| Opening statements by other officials | |
| Keynote address: "Fertility and partnership developments in Europe and North America in the 1990s" | |
| Miroslav Macura | |
| Keynote address: "Origin and history of the FFS project: achievements and limitations" | |
| Robert Cliquet | |
| Monday, 29 May Afternoon | Plenary session 1: "Partnership behaviour" |
| Andras Klinger (chairperson) Kathleen Kiernan (author of solicited paper) Erik Klijzing (discussant of contributed papers) | |
| Tuesday, 30 May Morning | Plenary session 2: "Fertility behaviour" |
| Martine Corijn (chairperson) John Hobcraft (author of solicited paper) Jerzy Holzer (discussant of contributed papers) | |
| Tuesday, 30 May Afternoon | Plenary session 3: "Partnership and fertility behaviours as inter-dependent processes" |
| Henri Leridon (chairperson) Antonella Pinnelli (author of solicited paper) An-Magritt Jensen (discussant of contributed papers) | |
| Wednesday, 31 May | Plenary session 4: "New approaches and methodological Morninginnovations in the study of partnership and fertility behaviour" |
| Gigi Santow (chairperson) Daniel Courgeau (author of solicited paper) Wolfgang Lutz (discussant of contributed papers) | |
| Wednesday, 31 May | Plenary session 5: "The role of survey, in particular FFS, Afternoonand other data in contemporary fertility and partnership research, and future data and theory requirements" |
| Lars Østby (chairperson) Frances Goldscheider (author of solicited paper) Larry Bumpass (discussant of contributed papers) | |
| Keynote address: "Future directions for fertility and partnership research: an agenda for the 21st century" | |
| Ron Lesthaeghe | |