theories of population growth

what are the 4 theories?

Malthus

Neo-Malthusians

Boserup

Simon

when was Malthus’ theory?

1798

what is the Malthus theory?

populations can grow exponentially but food supply can only increase arithmetically so the population will exceed the carrying capacity and death rates will increase

what is the Neo-Malthusian theory?

population growth rates were increasing faster than resource production rates

rapid population growth is an obstacle to development and should be slowed down

what is the think tank involved in the Neo-Malthusian model?

the Club of Rome

what did the Club of Rome do?

in the 70s they used computer models based on Malthusian ideas

the models predicted that continued population growth would lead to a dramatic decline in economic growth within 100 years

what did the Club of Rome argue?

humans can live indefinitely on Earth only if they limit population growth and use resources more sustainably

what do some people think in response to the Neo-Malthusians?

there are enough resources but the problem is with how they are distributed

what was Ester Boserup’s theory?

in 1965 she wrote that farming would become more intensive as the population increased because population growth would encourage new technology

so however big the population grows people will always have sufficient food

what did Julian Simon write?

the ultimate resource is the human mind

with a growing population the world would produce enough intelligence to solve the problems that arise, so resources won’t run out