Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1) What are meant by the terms birth rate and fertility rate? And why is infant mortality a
good indicator of a country’s level of development?
Fertility rate is the number of live births per 1000 women between the ages of 15 and 49 OR
the average number of children each woman in the population would bear.
Population planning – it can be the only way to paint a true picture of population including
migration
Government Planning – to maximize the efficiency of resource allocation e.g. health and
education
Future Revenues and Costs – what are future tax revenues and social costs going to be
3) Explain how traditions and changes in education can affect birth rates.
Education can improve a woman’s ability to choose; this may be a choice to use available
contraception, a decision to remain in full time education, to enter into a paid profession.
All these choices will affect birth rates.
2.1 refers to the fertility rate of 2.1 which is seen as the “replacement rate” where a
population in an MEDC is maintained. According to the UN there will be 88 MEDC’s in the club
by 2016
5) Suggest how each of a) economic development and b) disease influences death rates.
Economic development increases the resource wealth of a country. More efficient use of its
own resources will lead to greater wealth generation. Greater wealth within the country should
give its population greater access to medical supplies e.g. vaccines but also it should improve
things such as education levels and sanitation which all will assist in reducing death rates.
Disease rates vary. Any increase in disease will lead to an increase in death rates. Particularly
if the country is impoverished and medical supplies are limited. Many countries have
persistently high incidences of disease (particular those borne in water) and this one factor
alone accounts for much of the high death rates seen there.
High BR and DR Falling DR High BR Falling BR Dr still Low BR and DR Low Dr falling BR
Lower
Can you draw the BR, DR and total population lines? Why do countries move through the
stages?
7) Give three reasons why the DTM may be useful and three reasons why its use may be of
limited value.
Positives Negatives
Basic starting point for demographic studies The original model did not include a fifth
stage (let alone a six / seventh
Universal concept all countries can be placed Based on evidence from Europe (Eurocentric)
somewhere
No time scale Does not include the role of government
planning
Facilitates asy comparison between nations Migration is not accounted for (think impact
on recent immigration on UK birth rate)
According to the text book: “Forced migration is where a migrant moves because of
circumstances …….and a voluntary migrant makes the decision to move”. I would go on to say
that a forced migrant may been facing a real of perceived threat to their health or wellbeing
(war, famine, intolerance, injustice, forced resettlement)
9) Explain why the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers have increased in recent years.
Volatile situations in certain areas of the world e.g. Iraq and Afghanistan
Increased environmental pressures e.g. the Sahel or Lake Chad
Possibly as a response to an increase in legal restrictions on international migration.
NB international migration has increased as a whole. Take care not to confuse Asylum Seekers
with International Migrants as a whole. Pages 158 to 161 in your Core text
The composition of a population according to age groups and gender. It is shown by a population
pyramid
Population Change Quiz – here are my answers!!!!
2) Identify three trends in the UK population structure between now and 2050.
Population projections show that by 2021 the number of people aged over 80 will reach 3 million
(5%), whilst the number of those under 16 will fall.
7) What have been the impacts of economic migration on an area you have studied?
Write about Poland to UK, alternatively Mexico to USA or Asia to Dubai. Remember to write
about both the source and destination countries
This is potentially a big question. (Read pages 178 to 180in your core text)
Malthus – 1798 – pessimistic view – based on agricultural economy – land is the main resource –
population growth will outstrip any increase in food production – will restrict population growth
Increasing weight given to neo Malthusians by rising food prices, predictions of imminent water
shortages and environmental meltdown
Boserup – 1965 – Danish lady economist – technology can change any limits placed on food
production by the environment – the pressure of population growth has been a driving factor on
technological advances – particularly within agriculture.
Lomborg – Danish Economist – famous for the book Skeptical Environmentalist – states that
imbalances between resources and population and resources are local – often not caused by
population growth but by inefficient government, conflicts or poverty. Free trade and economic
development would help – after all a lot of the world consumes too much food
2) Describe the policies used in on case study example to successfully control population.
China is the obvious one here and the policies there have had success in reducing the
growth in China. Mauritius achieved success through education and family planning whilst at
the same time industrial development and agricultural reform enabled the country to cope
with a larger population.
3) What were the main features of a case study you have studied where migration was
successfully controlled?
Difficult question: the term “successfully” is a subjective one. Was the policy successful in
the host country or in the source country or in both?
One obvious one would be Indonesian transmigration – CORE TEXT & PowerPoint
Even with this example text have been criticisms of the policies aims and results
Immigration into Dubai is strictly managed and no doubt the country has benefited for very
cheap imported labour particularly in the construction sector. Though the policy is
vigorously enforced and the migrant workers themselves are treated poorly at times.
Germany benefited form widespread immigration from the guest workers that helped
rebuild it. Many might argue social tensions were created that ma y still exist.
You might want to argue that Polish immigration to the UK has been successful. In this case
the policy adopted by the UK was a liberal one. Placing no restrictions and simply requiring a
registration.
6) Outline three consequences for rural areas in the UK where population is declining.
Those that remain are often elderly who may rely on basic welfare.
Empty houses are bought up as second homes which will lead to empty settlements outside
tourist seasons.
Deprivation may set in.
Isolation is common as transport services are reduced and services close.
7) Outline three consequences for rural areas in the UK where population is growing.
Increased congestion as many incomers are commuters and rely heavily on cars.
The villages may become dormitory sites where little happens during the day.
Tensions between established residents and those that are new arrivals.
The demand for housing may lead to new estates that not affordable to those in the
village.
Loss of rural identity.
8) In general, how many services in a rural area have changed for the better following
population change?
I feel this is a misleading question. Very few services would have changes as a result of
depopulation in remote areas. A better question would seek a candidate to maybe state ho
services may have been affected for the worse and then offer ways in which efforts have
been made to combat this. The table on page 189 in your CORE text is good for this
9) For one small scale area you have studied, describe how the population changes in the
area have affected both housing and services provision.
You could link this to Hulme, recent changes in population can include
Education – more quality primary education, greater levels of support for those to who
English is an additional language, efforts to retain more young people in training and
education after the age of 16.
Adult training to help combat high unemployment
10) Give five contrasts between two cases studies you have undertaken of either: an inner
city, a suburban area, an area of rural/urban fringe, an area of rural settlement.
The census data we looked at was for the Manchester wards of Disidsbury West
(suburban) and Hulme (inner city). Amongst other things we noticed;
We also looked at how service provision (health, education, housing etc) differs in each
area. Another way of looking at it is how should government best target resources to
reduce welfare problems in each of the areas.