Demography

Question 1

What is the current trend in population in the developing world?

Answer 1

1. growing quicker in LEDCs than in MEDCs
2. population is ageing everywhere
3. roughly a worldwide gender balance

Question 2

What is the Malthusian view of population growth?

Answer 2

Malthus - the population will grow faster than its capacity to feed itself and limited resources will cause death, which will balance out the growing population until the cycle repeats itself

Question 3

Why do malthusians argue that over-population is the biggest obstacle to dev?

Answer 3

because any economic surplus will have to be spent on feeding the pop and building infrastructure to cope instead of industry

Question 4

How do mod theorists argue over-pop can be helped?

Answer 4

1. govs should promote birth control
2. western govs and international orgs should pay for birth control
3. should educate women as educated women tend to have less kids
4. Ehrlich - men that have 3 or more kids should be steralised
5. follow in China’s footsteps with the one child policy

Question 5

Why can Ehrlich’s theory of overpopulation be criticised?

Answer 5

1. population isn’t growing as fast as he says (Carnell)

2. over-pop isn’t caused by more births, but by less deaths (Harrison)

Question 6

Why have most attempts to lower birth rates failed?

Answer 6

1. some religions do not approve of contraception e.g Islam, Catholics
2. fems say position of women needs to change so they can take control of their own bodies
3. contraception needs to go hand in hand with changing the position of women

Question 7

Why do marxists say that population growth is not the problem?

Answer 7

1. blame global capitalist system instead of govs of MEDCs

2. real cause of famine is unfair distribution of world resources - there is enough for everyone

Question 8

What is Boserup’s theory?

Answer 8

1. says agricultural production always keeps up with the population