POPULATION CASE STUDIES

Subtopic Location, Time What happened

P2 Chapter 4 — Population
- 33% are over 60 years old
- worlds oldest population, median of 46 yo
- total fertility rate is extremely low 4.1
- only 13% of population is under 15 yo
- high dependency ratio (high dependants while workforce is in decline)
- economic challenges: burden existing workforce, cost of care (pensions,
healthcare, and workforce) is a pressure to governments fund, number of
Ageing elderlies living in care homes and welfare facilities are increasing, competition
Japan, HIC of young labour recruitment
Population
- solutions: high labor participation among elderlies and later retirements (men
works on average, five years after mandatory retirement), companies set up in
other countries like china to compensate the lack of workers
- japan however does not expand they immigration to reduce dependency ratio
(foreigners only make up 1% of workforce)
- culture: positive attitude towards older people (National Respect the Aged Day
as public holiday), tradition of elderlies being looked after by families,
emergence of ageing as a theme in films and books

Young Gambia, LIC - young and fast growing population puts demand on resources
Dependent - 95% are muslim: against the use of contraception
Population
- cultural tradition: women had less influence on family size, children as
economic asset bc help w/ crop and animals (1/3 children are working)
- infant mortality (70/1000), 40% of pop is young dependants, 2% of elderly
dependents, dependency ratio os 85
- problems: lack of housing amenities (sanitation, space), high un&under-
employment, low wages, overcrowding and lack of facilities like school (two-
shift system)
- pressure on resources: trees chopped down for firewood creates
desertification
- family planning had just been introduced however limited success (total fertility
from 6.1 in 1970 to 5.6 in 2013)

Population and Sudan and South - problems: food shortages, famine, people are displaced, die from hunger and
Resources Sudan, LIC associated diseases
- causes: long civil war, droughts
- civil war: over 20 years between government of Khartoum and rebels in west
Darfur in the south (became South Sudan) caused by the sharing of oil wealth
between government-controlled north and south where the oil is found
- the diagram
Managing China, NIC - Confucius: “excessive pop growth reduced output per worker depressed the
Natural living standard and create strife. there should be an ideal proportion between
Increase population and land or else it creates poverty. government should move pops
to underpopulated area”
- aftermath of communist revolution 1949: fertility is encouraged for military and
economic strategic reasons. —> banning sterilisation, abortion and giving
payment benefits for a child
- by 1954: population reached 600 million and pressures the food supply hence
first birth control in 1956. but they're concerned on labour shortages hence
births are encouraged again.
- in 1962: catasthropic famine because agriculture is neglected during
industrialisation (20 mill died) hence birth control again in 1964 but Cultural
Revolution increases birth rate again.
- 3rd program “Late, sparse, away” in 1970 but they believed impacts may falter
hence the controversial, strictest family-planning program: One Child Policy
since 1979
- successfully prevent 300 million births
- focuses on Han Ethnic Majorities (90% of pop) while ethnic minorities are
excluded from the policy
- Rewards: rural household are given priority loans, materials and technical
assistance, social welfare
- Babies are taken away if breached from the policy to be sold up for adoption
abroad. Fines are given in school, healthcare, for second child (rich couples
prepare money or they migrate to hong kong)
- most effective in urban areas while rural ppl have a strong desire to get male
child, hence in most provincial rural, they may have 2 without being penalised
- consequences: ageing, unbalanced sex ratio, spoiled only children, social
divide as there is an increasing wealthy couple buying their way round the
legislation, seen as fundamental violation of civil liberties.
- unbalanced sex ratio: bc men aged under 20 than women, and women are
‘marrying out’ into cities. “Son preference” causes selected abortion,
infanticide, deliberate neglect and considered to be a gender based violence
and discrimination —> many unmarried men (social problems)
- shortage of young labour: push wages up but china is no longer a cheap labor
supplier
- spoiled generation: “little emperors” indulged cosseted boys often overwighte,
arrogant, lacks social skills
- “Four-Two-One” problem: problem of elderly care where adult child have to
support 2 parents and 4 gramps. (in future, bc pops is rapidly ageing)
- in 2013: some region allows second child if partners are single child. while
some city workers had a western-style reluctance to have children
- in September 2015: rules are replaces and couples are allowed to have 2
children starting from march 2016.