Book excerpt: With the radical transformation of family structure in most Western nations and its important social and economic implications, studies in family demographics have increased dramatically in recent years. The second volume in a new series undertaken in conjunction with the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population, this collection documents recent methodological developments in the demographic analysis of families, households, and kin groups, including the analysis of the family life cycle and the construction of multistate life tables and simulation models. The volume also addresses the projection of the number and composition of families and households, a topic of great practical importance, and it proposes a number of refinements and alternatives to the simple conventional approaches now taken.