Population - Definition
Economics S.S.S 1 Second Term
WEEK 5
Population - Definition
Performance Objectives
Student should be able to:
- Explain the meaning of population.
- Describe population size and its implications.
- Discuss various population theories in Economics.
Content
Definition of population
The population can be defined as the total number of people living within a country or a geographical area at a particular time. The study of population is very important for many reasons. Such reasons include the determination of the working population, allocation of resources, the availability of labour etc
Determinants of population size and growth
Three main factors determine the population size and growth of a given country. These three factors are birth rate, death rate and migration.
a. Birth rate: The birth rate of a country refers to the rate at which children are being given both to in a country. High birth rate may lead to an increase in population or overpopulation while low birth rate can lead to low population.
Factors asserting birth rate
i. Early marriage
ii. Religious belief
iii. Improved medical services
iv. Improved standard of living
b. Death rate: Death rate refers to the rate at which people die in a country. High death rate leads to population decrease or low population while the low death rate leads to an increase in population.
Factors affecting death rate
i. Poverty
ii. Poor medical facilities
iii. Natural disasters
iv. Manmade disaster like war and pollution
c. Migration: This refers to the movement of people from one geographical area to another involving permanent or temporary residence or settlement.
Types of migration
There are two types of migration. These are:
i. Emigration: This is the type of migration in which people leave their own country to another country.
ii. Immigration: This is the type of migration in which people enter into another country form their country.
Factor affecting migration
i. Difference in social amenities
ii. Differences in economic opportunities
iii. Fear of insecurity arising from war, political instability could make people to migrate
iv. Changes in status e.g. high level of education and wealth could make people to migrate.
Advantages of migration
1. It reduces population pressure on social amenities at the source region.
2. It leads to the development of social amenities at the receiving region.
3. It boosts markets at the receiving region.
4. It ensures the flow of capital to the receiving region.
5. It supplies migrant labour at the receiving region.
Disadvantages of migration
1. It increases the high cost of living at the receiving region.
2. It leads to pressure on social amenities at the receiving region.
3. It leads to a decline in production at the source region
4. It leads to unemployment at the receiving region
5. It leads to a high cost of living at the receiving region
Theories of population
Malthusian population theory
The Malthusian Theory of Population is the theory of exponential population growth and arithmetic food supply growth. The theory was proposed by Thomas Robert Malthus. He believed that a balance between population growth and food supply can be established through preventive and positive checks.
Major Elements of the Malthusian Theory
Population and Food Supply
The Malthusian theory explained that the population grows geometrically. The population would double in 25 years at this rate. However, the food supply grows in an arithmetic progression. Food supply increases at a slower rate than the population. That is, the food supply will be limited in a few years. The shortage of food supply indicates an increasing population.
Checks on Population
When the rise in population is greater than the food supply, there is a condition of disequilibrium. As a result, people will not get enough food even for survival. People will die due to lack of food supply. People will be subjected to wars, epidemics, famines, starvation, and other natural calamities which are named as positive checks by Malthus. On the contrary, there are man-made checks known as preventive checks.
Positive Checks
Nature has its ways of keeping a check on the increasing population. It brings the population level to the level of the available food supply. The positive checks include famines, earthquakes, flood, epidemics, wars, etc. When humans fail to control excessive population growth, nature plays its role.
Preventive Checks
The preventive measures such as late marriage, self-control, simple living, help to balance the population growth and food supply. This measure can not only check the population growth but can also prevent the catastrophic effects of the positive checks.
Criticism of Malthusian Theory of Population
The Malthusian theory was criticized based on the following observations:
1. In Western Europe, the population was rising at a rapid rate. At the same time, the food supply had also increased due to technological developments.
2. Many times, food production had increased more than the population. For example, 2% of the total population is working in the agricultural sector in the US. Still, the total GDP is more than 14 trillion dollars.
3. Malthus theory stated that one of the reasons for limited food supply is non-availability of land. However, the amount of food supply in various countries has increased due to increased globalization.
4. The calculations for the geometric growth of population and arithmetic growth of population were not provided by Malthus. It was stated that the growth rates are not consistent with Malthus’ theory.
Demographic transition theory
Theory of Demographic Transition is a theory that throws light on changes in birth rate and death rate and consequently on the growth rate of population. According to this theory, economic development has the effect of bringing about a reduction in the death rate.
The relationship between birth and death rates changes with economic development and a country has to pass through different stages of population growth. According to the theory of demographic transition, population growth will have to pass through these different stages during economic development.
The four stages of demographic transition mentioned by Max are explained as follows:
First Stage:
This stage has been called high population growth potential stage. It is characterized by high and fluctuating birth and death rates which will almost neutralize each other. People mostly live in rural areas and their main occupation is agriculture which is in the stage of backwardness. The tertiary sector consisting of transport, commercial banking and insurance is underdeveloped. All these factors are responsible for the low income and poverty of the masses. Social beliefs and customs play an important role in keeping the birth rate high. Death rate is also high because of primitive sanitation and the absence of medical facilities. People live in dirty and unhealthy surroundings.
As a result, they are disease-ridden and the absence of proper medical care results in large deaths. The mortality rate is highest among the poor. Thus, high birth rates and death rates remain approximately equal over time so that a static equilibrium with zero population growth prevails.
Second Stage:
It is called the stage of Population Explosion. In this stage, the death rate is decreasing while the birth rate remains constant at a high level. Agricultural and industrial productivity increases, means of transport and communication develops. There is great mobility of labour. Education expands. Income also increases. People get more and better quality of food products. Medical and health facilities are expanded. During the stage economic development is speeded up due to individual and government efforts. Increased use of better technology, mechanization and urbanization takes place. But there is no substantial change in the men, the attitude of the people and hence birth rate stays high i.e., economic development has not yet started affecting the birth rate.
Due to the widening gap between the birth and death rates, the population grows at an exceptionally high rate and that is why it has been called the population explosion stage.
Third Stage:
It is also characterized as a population stage because the population continues to grow at a fast rate. In this stage, the birth rate as compared to the death rate declines more rapidly. As a result, the population grows at a diminishing rate. This stage witnesses a fall in the birth rate while the death rate stays constant because it has already declined to the lowest minimum. Birth rate declines due to the impact of economic development, changed social attitudes and increased facilities for family planning. Population continues to grow fast because the death rate stops falling whereas birth rate though declining but remains higher than the death rate.
Fourth Stage:
It is called the stage of a stationary population. Birch rate and death rate are both at a low level and they are again near balance. Birth rate is approximately equal to death rate and there is little growth in population. It becomes more or less stationary at a low level.