A major part of this year's annual report is devoted to a review by Dr. Carolyn Makinson, Program Associate for Population, of the Foundation's approach to the sometimes contentious but critically important field of population studies and population policy .
Few people dispute the long-term significance of population trends.
At the same time, it is evident that strident debate and political actions, centered usually on issues related to abortion, have discouraged some donors from support of activities in this field, including activities unrelated to abortion. Before yielding to Dr. Makinson, I wish to comment briefly on other aspects of the work of the Foundation in 1990. This level of grantmaking was part of a longer-term plan, adopted in 1988, to phase in higher levels of appropriations as newly recruited staff, and newly initiated programs, permitted the effective expenditure of larger sums of money. The Trustees decided not to alter this plan because of the fall in stock-market values in the second half of 1990. One of the many contributions of Dr. William 0.