Chapter 6

Question 1

why do some countries experience rapid population growth, while others see their birth rates drop?

Answer 1

economic development, healthcare access, cultural norms, government policies

Question 2

what happens when the world’s population keeps growing, especially in developing countries?

Answer 2

resource strain, urbanization, economic struggles, food security

Question 3

how does population growth in developing countries today affect their ability to improve income, health, education, and overall well-being for both current and future generations?

Answer 3

positive impacts: labor force and market expansion
negative impacts: income inequality, healthcare and education, sustainabilty

Question 4

What happens when a country’s birth rates drop below the replacement level, leading to more elderly people and fewer younger workers?

Answer 4

aging population, labor shortages, economic challenges, social implications

Question 5

the problem of population growth is not simply a problem of numbers

Answer 5

it is a problem of human welfare and development

Question 6

to really understand how the world’s population changes over time, it is useful to look at the

Answer 6

rate of change rather than just the total number of people

Question 7

by focusing on the rate of population growth, we get a clearer picture of

Answer 7

how quickly the world’s population is changing and how it varies across different regions

Question 8

the world’s population is very unevenly distributed by

Answer 8

• geographic region
• fertility and mortality trends
• age structure dependency burdens

Question 9

how can we measure the rate of population growth?

Answer 9

yearly percentage change in population size based on:
- natural growth (birth rate minus death rate)
- net international migration (excess of persons migrating into a country over those who emigrate from that country)

Question 10

in most developing countries, population growth comes almost entirely from

Answer 10

natural increase - meaning, more people are being born than passing away

Question 11

fertility rates have generally

Answer 11

declined over time in most countries

Question 12

modern health efforts, such as vaccinations for diseases like malaria and improvements in clean water, healthcare, nutrition, and education

Answer 12

have significantly lowered death rates

Question 13

Life expectancy has

Answer 13

improved over time

Question 14

significant progress has been made in reducing

Answer 14

child mortality rates globally

Question 15

in high income countries, overall death rates may appear higher, but this is primarily due to

Answer 15

an aging population, not child mortality, since most children survive into adulthood

Question 16

people in developing countries are generally much

Answer 16

younger than those in wealthier countries

Question 17

the faster the population grows, the higher the

Answer 17

proportion of dependent children, making it harder for workers to support non-workers

Question 18

hidden momentum of population growth

Answer 18

implies that even if birth rates fall, a young population can continue to grow for years

Question 19

high birth rates can’t be changed quickly because

Answer 19

the social, economic, and cultural factors that shape fertility rates take many years to shift
- even if countries prioritize population growth, it will take time to lower birth rates

Question 20

the age structure in low- and middle-income countries plays a role

Answer 20

• these countries have many young people, so even if future parents have fewer children, the population will still grow because there are more parents
• this growth with continue until younger generations replace older ones, and then population growth will slow down and eventually level off as the number of parents and children balances out

Question 21

population pyramid

Answer 21

represents the age and gender distribution of a population
- it is called a pyramid because in many cases it forms a triangular shape with wide base representing a large number of young people and a narrower top reflecting fewer old people

Question 22

low income countries population pyramid

Answer 22

fewer people survive to old age, lots of young people

Question 23

middle income countries population pyramid

Answer 23

similar to low income

Question 24

high income countries population pyramid

Answer 24

fewer young people, more old people, predicts a long-term population decline

Question 25

what is a demogrpahic transition

Answer 25

the process by which fertility rate eventually decline to low and stable level

Question 26

three stages of modern population history

Answer 26

1. before modernization, birth and death rates were both high, so populations grew very slowly 2. marks the beginning of the demographic transition, there are improvements in public health, diet, and income which reduced death rates, but birth rates stayed high, leading to rapid population growth 3. happens when birth rates also start to decline, eventually balancing out with the low death rates, resulting in little or no population growth

Question 27

some countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, still have

Answer 27

very high fertility rates

Question 28

key questions: When can we expect developing nations to see a significant drop in birth dates that leads to a stable and sustainable population? First, what causes high fertility rates in developing countries and can these factors be influenced by government policies

Answer 28

to answer this, we have to look at the Malthusian population trap and the household theory of fertility

Question 29

the Malthusian Population Trap

Answer 29

- Thomas Malthus developed a theory about population growth and economic development - Malthus suggested that population grows geometrically (doubling every 30-40 years), while food production grows arithmetically - over time, less land for each person leads to diminishing returns, meaning people produce less food - as food supply can't keep up with population growth, incomes drop, leaving people barely surviving at subsistence levels - Malthus believed the only way to avoid widespread poverty was for people to practice moral restraint and have fewer children

Question 30

criticisms of the Malthusian Model

Answer 30

1. the Malthusian model overlooks the impact of technological progress - while Malthus was right about land being limited, he couldn't foresee how technology would improve land productivity 2. the model assumes population growth rates are tied to per capita income, however, research shows no clear link between the two - birth rates don't follow a strict pattern based on income levels, and countries with similar incomes can have very different fertility rates - what truly matters more for population growth is how income is distributed at the household level, not the overall national income 3. the model focus on the wrong variable, per capita income, as the main determinant of population growth rates - a better approach looks at the individual family's decision making, where personal living conditions, not national income, determine how many children a family decides to have

Question 31

the household theory of fertility

Answer 31

- economists examine the microeconomic factors that influence family size to explain why birth rates fall during the third stage of the demographic transition - in this theory, children are seen as a special type of good --> families make decisions about having children similarly to how they make economic choices

Question 32

the household theory of fertility: the demand for surviving children depends on several factors

Answer 32

1. household income (Y) - families with more income can afford to have more children, so the number of children they want may increase with higher income 2. net price of children - this is the overall cost of raising children which includes: direct costs --> food, clothing, education; opportunity cost --> the value of what a parent, especially a mother, could be doing instead of raising children, such as working - it also considers benefits of having children, such as: potential child income and support in old age - if the costs out weight the benefits, families may choose to have fewer children 3. price of goods - families also consider the cost of other goods they want to buy - if other goods are more expensive, they might choose to spend their money on children instead of those goods 4. tastes for goods relative to children - this refers to the family's personal preferences - if a family values having children more than buying other goods, they will likely have more children, and vice versa

Question 33

demand for children equation

Answer 33

Cd=f(Y, Pc,Px,tx), x=1,..., n Cd = demand for surviving children Y = household income level Pc = Net price of children Px = price of all other gods tx = tastes for goods relative to children

Question 34

in poor societies, children are often seen as investments

Answer 34

families decide how many children to have based on their income, costs of raising children, and expected benefits like labor or support in old age

Question 35

son preference

Answer 35

- in some cultures, especially in south and east Asia, families prefer sons due to social expectations, economic benefits, and the costs associated with daughters (like dowries) - this often leads to higher birth rates as families may keep trying for a boy

Question 36

lowering fertility rates in developing countries depends on

Answer 36

social and economic progress that benefits everyone, especially the poor

Question 37

important factors that lower fertility include

Answer 37

1. improved education and status for women - s women become more educated and gain employment, they tend to have fewer children, prioritizing quality over quantity 2. higher family incomes or redistributing wealth from rich to poor 3. reduced infant mortality through better healthcare and nutrition 4. social security systems that reduce parents' reliance on children for old-age support 5. better schooling, encouraging parents to focus on child quality over quantity

Question 38

Is rapid population growth the major cause of poverty and limited opportunities in developing countries?

Answer 38

- for years, economists and social scientists have debated the impact of rapid population growth - although, it is not sole cause of poverty and limited opportunities in developing countries, it can worsen these problems

Question 39

consequences of high fertility

Answer 39

1. the real problem is not population growth but underdevelopment, population distribution and subordination of women 2. population growth is a desirable phenomenon 3. extremist arguments: population and global crisis 4. theoretical arguments: population poverty cycle 5. empirical arguments

Question 40

the real problem is not population growth but underdevelopment

Answer 40

- the real problem is poverty and lack of education, once development improves living standards, population growth will naturally decline - development should be the only goal

Question 41

the real problem is not population but population distribution

Answer 41

- the issue isn't the number of people, but where they are concentrated - better distribution of people in relation to resources would ease population pressures

Question 42

the real problem is not population growth but subordination of women

Answer 42

- one of the most crucial factors is the lack of opportunities for women - high fertility rates are driven by limited access to education, economic opportunities, and birth control - empowering women through education and economic opportunities can significantly reduce population growth

Question 43

population growth is a desirable phenomenon

Answer 43

- population growth stimulates economic development by increasing consumer demand, achieving economies of scale, and providing affordable labor - more people are needed to cultivate the rural arable land - military power is dependent on youthful population

Question 44

extremist arguments: population and global crisis

Answer 44

- population growth is seen as the root cause of many of the world's economic and social problems, including poverty, malnutrition, ill, health, and environmental degradation - some extreme measures, like compulsory sterilization, have been suggested to control family size in densely populated countries such as India and Bangladesh

Question 45

theoretical arguments: population-poverty cycle

Answer 45

- population growth worsens economic, social, and psychological issues - it reduces savings at both household and national levels, hindering prospects for a better life - government resources are strained, extending poverty across generations - while economic and social development can encourage smaller family sizes, family-planning programs are essential to provide the means for limiting births

Question 46

empirical arguments

Answer 46

- poverty and inequality: evidence at household levels - adverse impact on education - adverse impact on health - food issues - impact on the environment - international migration

Question 47

goals and objectives toward a consensus: despite the widely diverging and conflicting opinions, there is some common ground on the following

Answer 47

1. population growth is not the main cause of poverty, inequality, or limited freedom in developing nations; the root issues lie in poverty, especially for women, and poor development policies 2 the population problem is about quality of life and resource distribution, not just numbers 3. high population growth rates are not the main cause of underdevelopment, but they still play a significant role in some countries and regions

Question 48

what steps can developing countries take?

Answer 48

- use education and media campaigns to encourage smaller family sizes - implement family planning programs - raise the socioeconomic status of women - increase employment opportunities for women

Question 49

how can developed countries help developing countries with their population programs?

Answer 49

- fund research into fertility control technologies such as contraceptive pills, IUDs, and voluntary sterilization - financial assistance for family planning programs