REGISTER HERE

IPUMS is a collection of harmonized census and survey microdata dissemination projects located in the University of Minnesota in the United States. For 30+ years, IPUMS has been broadening accessibility to and usability of data to the global research community. The free-of-charge data are provided with integrated documentation and have been standardized to streamline analysis via consistent codes and variable names making it possible for the user to more easily study change, conduct comparative research, merge information across data types, and analyze individuals with family and community contexts.

IPUMS makes it possible for users to access only the data that are needed in order to create and download custom extracts. The extracts can be downloaded into a range of statistical packages or as a CSV file. In addition to the microdata, there are online data analysis tools, metadata that include original questionnaires, English-language translations, and other data enhancements. Select projects also provide GIS shapefiles and crosswalks.

This workshop will include an overview of the harmonization process and the IPUMS data collections, a web-demo, and hands-on exercises to show the applicability and broad usability of IPUMS data in research. It will also serve as an opportunity to meet directly with IPUMS staff and ask questions. This workshop aims to build the capacity of researchers in Africa to undertake and disseminate research using data produced in Africa and made available via the IPUMS dissemination system.

Are you excited to learn more about IPUMS? Please join us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Cost:  None
Date:  Sunday, 19^th May 2024
Time:  2:00 PM – 6:00 PM CAT
Venue:  Sunbird Capital Hotel Lilongwe, Malawi Materials:  Laptop strongly suggested, but not required

The workshop will be limited to 30 participants

Who can register?

This workshop is open to all. Priority will be given to the following participants.

• • – Representatives of national statistical offices

 

• • – Current IPUMS users

 

• • – Researchers, faculty, & scholars whose research would benefit from the use of census, DHS, MICS or PMA data.

   

Deadline for registration:  3rd May 2024

READ MORE

REGISTER HERE

Power shifting is transforming the landscape of research, urging a recalibration in recognizing the contributions of collaborators and bolstering the capacities of researchers outside traditional power centers, particularly those in Africa. The overarching goal is to cultivate meaningful engagement across the spectrum of research activities, from question formulation and grant-seeking to study design, analysis, and writing. This recalibration also seeks to position historically marginalized individuals not merely as beneficiaries or study subjects but as active contributors, ensuring a more inclusive and equitable research environment.

Demographic research is often conducted in collaboration with research institutions in the Global North as well as with other researchers and implementers in the Global South. The power dynamics often present in these relationships demands to be addressed as the field seeks to “decolonize knowledge”, with a focus on transforming knowledge production, legitimization, and application.

The APC power shifting pre-conference seeks to examine the power dynamics that exist in population research in the African context and collaborations, as we examine the dynamics that need to change to shift/share power by supporting a broader range of individuals to participate in the most prestigious parts of the research process.

By fostering dialogue, critical reflection, and the sharing of resources, this pre-conference aims to contribute actively to the ongoing discourse on shifting power and advancing equity in demographic research collaborations, ensuring that the APC 2024 serves as a catalyst for positive change in the field.

Goals:

• – To discuss unique challenges hindering power shifting in demographic research collaborations and garner strategies and commitments for more equitable collaborations.
• – To share with demographers resources in the field that exist to ensure more equitable research collaborations

Objectives:

• – To encourage demographers to engage critically with principles and practices regarding power shifting in research collaborations both between Global North-Global South collaborations as well as collaborations with community-based organizations in Africa.
• – To continue the discussion about power shifting in the field of global health which was launched at the International Conference on Family Planning (November 2022) and Population Association of America annual meeting (April 2023), Interdisciplinary Association of Population Health (Nov 2023) with demographers and ongoing engagements in the Community of Practice on Shifting Power in SRHR.

 
Expected outcomes:

• – To recognize and highlight ongoing activities aimed at enhancing equity in research collaborations, sharing successful strategies for wider adoption.
• – To foster increased engagement among demographers with the identified principles and practices, nurturing a culture of inclusivity.
• – Provide and share examples of concrete actions and mechanisms to shift power in demographic research.
• – To cultivate a cohort of champions committed to advancing equitable practices, contributing to the wider propagation of these principles.

The target audience is anyone interested in examining the power dynamics present in research collaborations with entities with less capacity or support. The estimated number of participants is 100-150.

Date: May 19th, 2024.

Time: 8:30AM- 12:30PM

Venue: Sunbird Capital Hotel

SECURE YOUR SPOT/ RÉSERVEZ VOTRE PLACE

Description

The democratization and availability of satellite imagery data have opened a new window of opportunities for researchers. They can harness this data to obtain climate and population information at an unprecedented scale. Such information is critical for contextualizing population research. The world is indeed facing a climate crisis. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Earth’s temperature is currently approximately 1.1°C higher than it was in the late 1800s, with expectations of reaching or surpassing a 1.5°C increase in average temperature over the next 20 years. This escalation has numerous associated adversities and consequences, such as sea-level rise, droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, heatwaves, flooding, and catastrophic storms. These changes are likely to profoundly impact human health, education, wealth, and socioeconomic well-being. Therefore, it is imperative nowadays to consider climate data in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of population issues. This half-day workshop aims to equip demographers and population researchers with the necessary tools to explore and utilize freely available gridded climate data using the open-access statistical software R in their analyses.

Another crisis affecting the world of research is the reproducibility crisis. According to a recent study published in Nature, 70% of surveyed researchers were unable to reproduce the results of other scientists, and 50% failed to reproduce their own results (source: https://www.nature.com/articles/533452a). This lack of reproducibility in research is often attributed to unintentional errors and can be minimized through the implementation of simple and routine best practices in data analysis and the research process. The Git version control system is a tool that can be readily adopted to address the reproducibility crisis. The training will include an introduction to Git version control software to enhance research replicability and facilitate collaboration within the R environment.

Workshop Objectives:

1. Equip researchers with practical skills to download, explore, and analyze gridded and satellite data in R. (A hands-on session is planned, and R code templates will be provided.)
2. Instruct participants in best practices for replicability and open science, with GitHub integrated to R.

Workshop sponsor: French Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) through the Laboratory of excellence “Individuals, Populations, Societies” (Labex iPOPs)^[1]

Date: 19^th May 2024

Time:  2:00 PM – 6:00 PM CAT

Workshop venue: Sunbird Capital hotel, Lilongwe, Malawi

Language: English and French (Interpretation is provided)

Labex iPOPs is a French program coordinated by Ined with 5 partner universities. It is funded by the Agence nationale de la recherche under the “France 2030” program (reference LABX_10-LABX-0089).

READ THE FULL DETAILS LIRE LES DÉTAILS 

This workshop is free and open to all, but registration is strongly encouraged.

READ MORE & APPLY HERE

Background

Building Capacity for Integrated Family Planning (FP) and Reproductive Health (RH) and Population, Environment, and Development (PED) (BUILD) Action is a global project designed to leverage the interconnectedness of Population, Environment, and Development to spur solid political commitment, sustained financial resources, and accountability for voluntary family planning and reproductive health in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). BUILD is implemented by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), in partnership with PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc. (PFPI), Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD), Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and FHI360.

The BUILD project, in partnership with the Union for African Population Studies (UAPS), will be implementing an early-career PHED research-to-policy workshop targeting early-career researchers in African universities to provide a platform where policy-relevant research outputs that can inform and influence policy in their respective countries and beyond. BUILD will hold a 3-day PHED Early Career Training at the 9th APC in Lilongwe, Malawi. Some selected participants are expected to have a role in the main conference, such as presenter, moderator, or session organizer. BUILD will select 15 participants and support the costs of participation in the training workshop (May 16-17) and the main conference (May 20-24). Selected participants are expected to have roles in the main conference, such as presenter, moderator, or session organizer.

Purpose and Objectives

BUILD project’s PHED Early Career Research-to-Policy Initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of early career researchers in Africa to engage policy influencers and decision-makers effectively, focusing on advancing cross-sectoral PHED approaches. The goal is to bridge the gap between research findings and the policy development (and implementation) process, supporting advocacy efforts with evidence that is compelling to policymakers. The initiative is expected to empower highly skilled, locally trained scholars and researchers to influence policy across Africa in the area of integrated PHED.

Date: 16th – 17th May 2024
Venue: Lilongwe, Malawi
Who can apply: Young scholars under 30 years and a citizen of an African country, pursuing courses in population, health, environment, and development disciplines.

Priority will be given to the following participants:

(a) Below 30 years of age by the time of application.

(b) Pursuing graduate studies in population, health, environment, or relevant development discipline (such as demography, population studies, economics, environment and natural resources, public policy, and environmental sciences, among others) in an academic organization in a BUILD project’s focus country (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Cote’ D’Ivoire, Niger, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe),

(c) Have a paper accepted for presentation at the selected conference.

Deadline for Application: 30th April 2024.