Neo Malthusian Perspective On Population
Population is the total number of persons inhabiting a country, city, or any district or area. Demography is the study of the basic demographic processes of fertility, mortality, and migration and their consequences for population distributions of various kinds including age and sex composition and the spatial distribution of population (Liberal Arts Texas A&M Univertsity, 2014). The term neo-Malthusianism was first used in 1877 by Dr. Samuel Van Houten, one of the vice- presidents of the Malthusian League. Neo- Malthusianism was not just a campaign in favour of birth control; it was particular perspective on the effects of population on human conduct and behavior (Shah, 2013). Neo-Malthusian theory is derived from Thomas Malthus 's proposition that limited resources keep populations in check and reduce economic growth. Neo-Malthusians also agreed to Malthus ' theory of population growth which states that population, when unchecked, increases at a geometrical ratio,ie,1-2-4-8-16-32 etc whereas subsistence only increases in an arithmetic ratio. ie, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8- etc. He observed that population outstrips the amount of food supply available worldwide (Nasser Mustapha, 2009),
Figure 1 shows that while population and food supplies achieved optimum growth, at some point population outstripped the available food supply and this would lead to starvation, death due to poor diet or migration to a better place where food is available. Figure 1 The poor nations of the Third world are growing almost three times as fast as the richer industrialized countries (stage 2 demographic transition model). Haiti’s population is expected to reach 15.7 million by 2050, targeting the need for a reproductive health program to decrease the total fertility rate, currently 3.9 children per woman. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, an influx of international aid arrived to Haiti, with
Figure 1 shows that while population and food supplies achieved optimum growth, at some point population outstripped the available food supply and this would lead to starvation, death due to poor diet or migration to a better place where food is available. Figure 1 The poor nations of the Third world are growing almost three times as fast as the richer industrialized countries (stage 2 demographic transition model). Haiti’s population is expected to reach 15.7 million by 2050, targeting the need for a reproductive health program to decrease the total fertility rate, currently 3.9 children per woman. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, an influx of international aid arrived to Haiti, with
Bibliography: Caribbean Sociology (2001) p.838, Rhoda Reddock Article: The minimum wage struggle in Haiti Liberal Arts Texas A&M Univertsity, 2014. Demography Retrieved on September, 29th 2014 from Pierce, Meghan, 2013. The Present State of Haitian Fertility and the International Response. http://www.sociologydiscussion.com/population/notes-on-neo-malthusian-theory-of- population/1119 Smith, Aaron (2010)