Table of Content

Introduction ___________________________________________________________ 1

Industrialisation __________________________________________________________ 2- 3

Urbanisation ___________________________________________________________ 4- 5

Migration _______________________________________________________________ 6- 7

Conclusion ______________________________________________________________ 7

Bibliography ____________________________________________________________ 8
 Introduction

Demography is the area of study associated with the study of population size, composition

and distribution; as well as its changes overtime. Demographers spend a lot of time studying

population trends such as growth and decline. Also, the concept of Human Development Index

(HDI) and Social Development Indicators are critical to the analysis of population issues. Mustafa

(2013) defines HDI as the composite index measuring average achievement in three basic

dimensions: (1) a long and healthy life, (2) knowledge and (3) a decent standard of living. The same

source describes the social development indicators as the various measures used to depict how

developed a society and its people are as it relates to quality of life, net earnings and the state of

health and education afforded to citizens.

This research paper is to highlight and discuss the relationship between certain phenomena

and population and development. The phenomena being discussed are industrialisation, urbanisation

and migration. The three concepts are interrelated but have some distinct features which result in

varying implications on the population of a society. The concepts will be explored and their impact

on the population and development of a society will be assessed.

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 Industrialisation

Industrialisation is referred to a marked departure from a subsistence economy that is largely

agricultural towards a more mechanized system of production that entails more efficient and highly

technical exploitation of natural resources in a highly formal and commercialized economic setting

(Nzau, 2010). By virtue of this definition, industrialisation is simply the process of moving away

from small scale agricultural production to machine based production. An industrialised society is

widely believed to be more productive and economically evolved as they are able to produce more

goods in less time with the use of less manpower. Industrialisation includes the creation of new

sophisticated technology to aid in the harnessing and improvement of natural resources. The

industrialisation of a society would result in large scale production and surplus produce can be

exported to generate income for the society.

Sir Arthur Lewis was the first vocal proponent of industrialising the Caribbean. He believed

that industrialisation would result in greater availability of jobs for citizens. Most importantly, he

believed that it would encourage greater international investment which would boost the economy.

This idea has been realised for the most part as the Caribbean benefits for greater manufacturing of

goods and improved efficiency in sectors of banking, medicine, agriculture and telecommunication.

Industrialisation has several impacts on the development of a society. An industrialised

society may be considered to be more developed as it is better able to provide some citizens with

jobs which would result in better standards of living for the individual and greater Gross Domestic

Index (GDP) and Human Development Index (HDI) of the overall society. Hence, industrialisation

is expected to improve both social and economic development of the society.

As it relates to population growth, industrialisation may impact it in different ways. An

immediate result of the introduction and expansion of industrialisation is that people from the rural,

agrarian regions will migrate to the industrial centers in search of jobs in factories and other

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mechanised workplaces. Therefore, population to decline in agrarian regions and increase in the

more industrialised cities and urban centers.

However, the general population will increase in the long term. Industrialisation is more than

just the introduction of factories. For example, the pharmacology and medical profession have

become more mechanised and are better able to treat the sick. Likewise, agriculture have also been

mechanised and farmers are able to produce more food in less time- resulting in greater food supply.

These and other factors cause life expectancy and quality of life to increase significantly. Therefore,

the general population is projected to increase.

It is therefore evident that industrialisation contributes greatly toward population

development as well as its growth. Industrialisation improves the quality of life of individual

citizens. It also contributes to the overall social and economic growth of the society and the growth

of the population.

3
 Urbanisation

Mustafa (2013) defines urbanisation as the shift in a country’s population from rural to

urban areas. An example of urbanisation is people from Swift River, Portland leaving the area to go

live in Kingston in search of jobs or the “urban culture”. However, it is difficult to demarcate rural

from urban area. This is because a previously rural area can later become urban. Therefore,

urbanisation is more than just the movement of people to urban centres. Urbanisation also occurs

when a rural society is introduced to new technologies, ideas, beliefs, businesses and institutions

that were usually located in the urban areas. However, both concepts focus on a change from

traditional and rural life to modern and urban living.

Urbanisation results in population increase in the urban centres while the population of the

rural area to declines. Therefore, the growth of a society is subjective- changes from one community

to the next. The population grows rapidly and steadily in urban areas while the population of rural

communities slowly decline. A similar assertion was made by Cohen (2006).

A urban society has greater need for labour markets, social services are more available and

there is a tendency for higher prevalence of crime. Additionally, there is a belief that countries

display ‘urban bias’ wherein the urban area get larger allocations of national resources. In itself, this

bias directly tends to cause greater job opportunities, service provision and entertainment in urban

areas while stunting the development of rural communities. Also, as time progresses, more people

from the underdeveloped urban areas will move to the urban centres in search of the jobs, services

and opportunities which are lacking in the rural communities.

The development of a society hinges on factors such as sustainable growth, good standard of

living, high quality of life and the availability of social services. Urbanisation leads to an initial

improvement in the standard of living and availability of services in an urban area. Therefore it is

developing. However, the subsequent overpopulation of these areas, strain on education and health

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sectors, poor housing and substantial pollution may mean low quality of life for residents. Likewise,

rural communities will continue to struggle as the workforce continues to move away and their

service industries continue to be underfunded. Therefore, urbanisation is a threat to the general

development of a country.

In order to address issues of urbanisation and urban bias, the government should invest in

the development of rural area. If the government invests in the revamping of agricultural industries,

there would be greater availability of jobs in rural area; while potentially boosting the economy as

their would be more agricultural exports and less imports. Also, government investment in the

development of public services and job creation in rural areas would reduce overcrowding of urban

centres in encourage the development of the whole country.

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 Migration

Migration refers to the movement of people from their place of residence to live in another

place. According to Bogue (1976), migration is a response of human organisms to economic, social

and demographic forces in the environment. Therefore, there are ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors which

may cause a person to migrate. The push factors are the conditions of a place that makes an

individual uncomfortable living where they currently live. However, the pull factors are conditions

of a place that entice a person into going there to live. Some basic terms related to migration are:

1. Internal Migration: It is the type in which you move to a new home within the same state,

country or continent. A person move to another administrative territory. (Eg: Portland to St.

Catherine)

2. External Migration: It is the type in which you move to a new home in a different state,

country or continent. (Eg: Jamaica to Canada)

3. Emigration: It is the type in which you leave one country and move to another one. (Eg:

Jamaicans going away)

4. Immigration: It is the process in which you move to a new country. (Eg: People coming to

Jamaica)

Migration is a major cause for population growth in developed countries. Many immigrants

relocate to areas with a wealth of resources and job opportunities. Therefore, population declines in

the areas with less to offer.

As it relates to development, immigration puts a strain on the resources of a nation. The

increased need for resources and services puts a strain on the government’s budget. Therefore, large

scale immigration potentially sets back development. In contrast, many skilled workers and

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educated people who migrate into the country contributes to the labour force and taxes; these aid

development.

Continuous emigration from developing countries stunts development. This is due to ‘brain

drain’. The skilled and educated people of the nation tends to migrate in search of better jobs or

higher wages. Therefore, the nation is not able to develop at fast rates as their best workers are not

available.

Therefore migration has varying impacts on migration.

Conclusion

Industrialisation, urbanisation and migration are issues that impact society. Both factors

cause population to grow. Also, these issues may improve or regress the development of the society.

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 Bibliography

Cohen, B. (2006). Urbanization in Developing Countries: Current trends, future projections, and

key challenges for sustainability [Abstract]. Technology in Society, 28(1-2), 63-80.

doi:10.1016/j.techsoc.2005.10.005

Nzau, M. (2010). Africa’s Industrialization Debate: A Critical Analysis. Journal of Language,

Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, 2(1). doi:10.4314/jolte.v2i1.51996

Bogue, D. J. (1976). Principles of Demography. New York: Wiley.

Mustapha, N. (2013). Sociology for Caribbean Students. Kingston: Ian Randle.