Geo 143: Malthus on causes and consequences of population growth

  1. What is the major cause of population growth for Malthus?
    • 1. Biological factors
    • 2. Resource limitations
    • -View of reproductive behavior: Powerful instinct, the natural urge to reproduce the species as long as there is enough food available.
  2. What are the different checks on population growth according to Malthus?
    • 1. Positive checks
    • -Wars, natural disaster, famines
    • 2. Preventive checks
    • -Preventive checks are moral restraints like postponing marriage. 
    • -Postponing Sexual Intercourse (he was pessimistic, people would practice this)
    • 3.Ultimate check
    • -Lack of food
  3. What is the consequence of population growth for Malthus?
    Poverty
  4. What is the "natural law of population"?
    • Natural Law of Population
    • - he believe people will have children as long as they have food and there are too many people for the available food supply and thus poverty
  5. Are Malthus’s arguments about the causes and consequences of population growth empirically correct?
    • -Wrong that more food will lead people to have more children
    • -But as seen from now, improved standard of livings is an incentive for people to have fewer children
    • -Under estimate growth of food supply
    • -Human innovation, green revolution dramatically increase agricultural production and food supply
    • -Naturalizes poverty
    • -Disregards issues of unequal distribution of wealth
  6. What are the policy implications of Malthus’s theory?
    • -against birth control
    • -against public support for the poor
Author
dante01
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218221
Card Set
Geo 143: Malthus on causes and consequences of population growth
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