Development economics and population theory

Development economics and population theory

Introduction

The assignment focuses on the development economics and theories of population focusing on control and its various aspects. The association that exists between the growth of population and the related economic development has been a subject of analysis for quite some period. Several economists have shared their sentiments concerning descriptions of the development of the economy, the growth of population, and how they affect the economy in the lowly developed economy, transition economy and developing economies. The Malthus theory stresses that the population expands in a mode which is geometric and the supply related with food is incremental depending on the arithmetic mode. The supply of food is used as a measure of arithmetic mode which is affected by produce from land which has chance cost for infrastructural expansion.

Economic development refers to the procedure that a citizen’s quality of living is expanded. The increment of population standards of life through the rate of food consumption, healthcare provision, and education is dependent on economic factors and population theories. The political institution, social rules and industrial segments that improve human value and increasing the population self-worth (Coale & Hoover, 2015). Economic advancement refers to an increase in the state of the economy from a low rate of activities to improved standards through technological progress.

Population growth

The expansion of population refers to the arithmetical increment of individuals that reside in a specific region within a defined period. The population usually expand due to an increase in birth rate or when individuals desert their own countries to lie in others. The population also diminishes through occurrences such as death or emigration. Several theories illustrate the features of population expansion and ways of controlling the size of people such as Malthusian theory and also the theory of demographic alteration (Arthur, 2018). The Malthusian theory is founded on two assumptions which state that food is a basic need if people will exist and the procreation will maintain almost a constant rate. Malthus continues to explain that expansion in population within restricted land availability will likely result in set in associated.

This theory offers two methodologies of governing the increment related with population through famine, war and pestilence and the preventive processes such as abstinence from sex and delayed unions like marriage. Malthus stresses that a country without free population expansion will encounter bad economic growth which occurs due to lack of abundant resources. Malthus sentiments demonstrate that negative returns will affect the quantity of food and related resources as the population continues to expand (Leigh & Blakely, 2016). Therefore growth of population and size of the population affect the living standards of a country which is experienced through minimum capital accumulation, less technological advancements, and innovations that limit interactions and relations with international society.

Demographic theory of transition

This theory defines the different historical increase of population as a liability of industrial revolution. Fast population expansion is experienced in the industrial revolution influence; however, it is not the main factor for the growth, but the extension of economic growth rate is also a major contributing factor. The association that exists between population increment and economic growth is determined by analysis the effect of population expansion on economic growth and vice versa. The demographic theory for transition is evaluated in three various forms such as before alteration, during alteration and after the shift to clearly understand the trends of population expansion (Zhang, 2018). The global population expansion is an outcome of natural increment where birth rate supersedes death rate. In any region of the world, the net migration result for the variance between immigrants and emigrants as a significant factor.

Before the industrial era, agricultural decreased and when the harvest was low the economy growth experienced an adverse effect. The demand for families to have a high number of offspring is elevated as the children will offer labor which is essential for agricultural farming and later support their parents during old age. The higher the death rate, the higher the birth rate which results in the generation of remaining population step. The following stage is the second alteration phase which was the initiation of the industrial period. This phase is branded by diminishing death rate even though the birth rate is high ( Thirlwall, & Pacheco-López, 2017). The decrease in death is a significant factor depending on increased health care, adequate food supplies, and improved regulations and laws. Population expansion is considered to be in the optimum state as the death rate is lower than the rate of birth. The third step in the demographic alteration stage is the period of previously minimum death rate fused with declining and the small proportion of birth. The fall in the rate of delivery is characterized by increased celibacy, awareness of reproductive health issues, and increased age for marriage.

Economic growth is responsible for the decrease in death rate as witnessed in demographic alteration theory, switching of roles performed by women especially chores conducted household and economic growth. Economic mobility occurs when from family members periodically turns their locations which also occurs during the nature of their work. Increasing urbanization depresses the birth of many kids, and later their mothers review them as burdens and not assets that assist in duties especially caring for the old. The effect of economic growth on population expansion is considered, and it is to evaluate the impacts imposed on population increase (Schumpeter, 2017). The disadvantage of the rapidly growing population on economic growth especially concerning the low developed nation will be unbearable if not addressed inappropriate manner.

The increment in population results in a trend of slugging income per capita growth in lowly developed nations that leads to unequal distribution of income. Population increase also throttles savings and investment in capital and limits the growth associated with gross national profit (Zhang,  2018). Assuming that the input is applied as an indicator for measuring the increase in the mean standard for living, implies that economy with has stagnated gross income and increasing population will realize diminished standards of living over specific period evaluation. When there is high rural-urban migration, the situation results in the rural areas being deserted when numerous individuals move to urbanized regions to look for employment opportunities and better education standards which are considered to be part of better life (Coale, & Hoover, 2015). Individuals with a high level of skills and expertise migrate from lowly developed nations to countries with high development as legal migrants who bring brain drain, and this contributes to throttling of economic growth in home countries.

Population increment competes with formation of capital and results in constant expanding dependency ration and more resources in used in dependent ration at the expense of other forms of investment (Arango, 2017). Increased birth rate and minimized death rate brings about increment on the dependency ratio of the country’s population. The assumption is that dependency ratio is developed by a high number of teenagers between the age of fifteen and sixteen years which exaggerate the challenge of food supply and creation of job opportunities (Thirlwall, & Pacheco-López, 2017). The increment in a population with a constant amount of land negatively affects the man to land and man to resources ration. As such, this implies that static negative economy without technological advancement results in high poverty and increased pressure exertion on resources which are available (Arthur, 2018). Swift increase in population imposes a strain upon the existing social infrastructure, and this is a significant challenge in developing nations.

Fast growing population places extra demands on the environmental setting that results in various forms of pollution and deterioration. The products of this setting entail an increased number of environmental deterioration such as congestion, pollution of air, juvenile crimes, soil erosion, limited water supply, and decreased animals stock. The fast population increase that is present in poor and stagnant economy elevates the problems related to inequality of profit distribution (Arango, 2017). The association that exists between population and increase in the economy can also be viewed from the point of demand and supply. High population results in increased demand related to food and other infrequent resources.

Conclusion

This paper discusses the unsustainability of the present global population, highlights various measures that are used to control population to help in maintaining economic development that supports human race. It discusses the subject concerning the Development of Economics and Population Theories that associate with the matter. It highlights Malthus theory and demographic transition theory which are associated with the population theory. The core sentiments which are indicated in the theories of the population are mentioned in this paper together with their relevance to the economic development of the world about various regions and societies.

Reference

Arango, J., 2017. Theories of international migration. In International migration in the new           millennium (pp. 25-45). Routledge.

Arthur, W.B., 2018. Self-reinforcing mechanisms in economics. In The economy as an       evolving complex system (pp. 9-31). CRC Press.

Coale, A.J. and Hoover, E.M., 2015. Population growth and economic development.         Princeton University Press.

Leigh, N.G. and Blakely, E.J., 2016. Planning local economic development: Theory and    practice. SAGE publications.

Schumpeter, J.A., 2017. Theory of economic development. Routledge.

Thirlwall, A.P. and Pacheco-López, P., 2017. Economics of development: theory and        evidence. Palgrave.

Zhang, W.B., 2018. Economic Growth Theory: Capital, Knowledge, and Economic          Structures. Routledge.