Population could be defined as;the number of people
living
in a geographical area at a particular time.
Interest in
population studies naturally have arisen
due to
the existence of the fundamental economic problem of
resource scarcity.Actually resource must be looked upon
as
dynamic in nature because of its influence of
scientific
knowledge necessarrily alters their significance .Yet
resource scarcity is an ever present problem in all
economics.With the inevitable resource scarcity ,people
and
resources have from the very begining been in a keen
competition.Whether people or resources outrun the
other is
very significant for human existencea nd general
welfare.
In his Essay on the Principle of the Population written
in
1798Reverend Thomas Maltus of England developed a
theory on
the relationship between population growth and economic
developement.
Put simply his theory states that ;
1) Population was increasingat a geometric progression
(1,2,4,16..)while food production was at the
arithematic progreesion(1,2,3,4..).
2) Sex instinct in manwas very sttrong andif not
checked by
moral
restraint shall lead to over production of
children.
3) If population was not controlled by "positive
CHECKS'-
morals restraint,it was bond to be checked
by "peventive
checks"-wars,pestilencestarvations,etc.
However,critics have it that Rev.Thomas :
1) Did not anticipate the great technological progress
in
all fields of human endeavors which bosted output
extensively.
2) His assumption thathe earth wasa fixed factorwas not
quit true because the earth's resources are
necessarilydynamic.
2) The sex istinct in man had been largly contained by
developments in birth control techniquie.
3)He did not consider the role of international trade
in
movement of resourse from surplus to deficit regions.