Politics of development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Politics of development - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of population growth on development, and to show that overpopulation is closely linked to gender politics. Thomas Malthus, a British demographer and political economist, developed a theory of overpopulation warning humanity of the dangers of swelling numbers. In his work, An Essay on the Principle of Population (1999), Malthus argued about the negative effects of population growth. He claimed that the multiplication of humanity over time would lead to disease and famine by making natural resources scarcer, and provisions and remedies more costly. Malthus argued that because of the relative growth of different classes within society (primarily English society) and an increase in poverty, the moral order of society would be tested. Malthus used two overlapping axioms to explain his ideas. He argued that it was easier for populations to grow than for natural resources to support this growth; population, for Malthus, increased in a geometric progression, while resources increased in an arithmetic progression. However, he maintained, there is a strong tendency in society towards population growth. This tendency upsets the balance between the number of people and the amount of food available to feed them. This situation worsens poverty and increased the worries of the poor. As a result development is hindered. The Malthusian model explains, just by simple supply and demand logic, that when population increases, the labor market becomes more competitive. This drives wages down. As the proportion of food per person decreases, the price of food also increases. Therefore, overpopulation hurts both poverty alleviation and overall development of society. There were two solutions to this problem according to Malthus: positive checks and preventive checks. Positive checks were natural and historical speed breakers to population growth and came in the form of war, global pandemics, and famines. These checks had