The dynamic household as a logical concept and its use in demography

It is argued that many changes occurring within households such as leaving home are better-considered as ‘fuzzy’ than crisp phenomena and there would be considerable benefits if insights available from the physical, mathematical and biological sciences were to be more widely incorporated within technical demography.

Abstract

"The difficulties of applying conventional transition-based models to household change are discussed. More generally, what constitutes ¿time' and ¿change' is also considered. It is argued that many changes occurring within households such as leaving home are better-considered as ¿fuzzy' than crisp phenomena. An alternative perspective based on household change considered as an evolving network is proposed. The implications for sample designs which are designed to track explicit household dynamics (such as the Panel Study on Income Dynamics) are discussed. The ways in which particular forms of analysis come to dominate the scientific literature, including those for analysing household change are discussed in relation to non-linear dynamic models. Finally, it is argued that there would be considerable benefits if insights available from the physical, mathematical and biological sciences were to be more widely incorporated within technical demography." (SUMMARY IN FRE)