WHAT IS APPLIED DEMOGRAPHY

Applied demography has recently gained recognition as an emergent spec ialization among practicing demographers. We argue that applied demogr aphy is intrinsically distinct from basic demography because it exhibi ts the value-orientation and empirical characteristics of a decision-m aking science while the latter exhibits the value-orientation and empi rical hallmarks of a basic science. Distinguishing characteristics of applied demography are based on the context in which it places precisi on and explanatory power relative to time and resources as well as the fact its substantive problems are largely exogenously-defined, usuall y by customers. The substantive problems of basic demography, on the o ther hand, are largely endogenously-defined, usually by academic demog raphers. Moreover, basic demography is primarily concerned with offeri ng convincing explanations of demographic phenomena and tends to view time and resources as barriers to surmount in order to maximize precis ion and explanatory power. This context is very different from the one in which applied demography is embedded, which views explanatory powe r and precision in terms of doing what is necessary to support practic al decisionmaking while minimizing time and resources. We examine this conceptualization of applied demography in terms of the methods and m aterials that fall within its purview and discuss some important conse quences, including research agendas and training programs. We conclude by posing several important but unanswered questions about the actual and potential scope of applied demography and discuss some of the imp lications inherent in these questions.