SOCIETY AND POPULATION

MALTHUSIAN THEORY OF
POPULATION
• Thomas Malthus – He published “ An essay on
the principle of population in 1789. He was
an English economist
• According to Malthus the
development of mankind was severely
limited by the pressure that population
growth is exerted on availability of food
Statement of the theory
According to Malthus , if in the first
generation , there are four (4) children ,then
in second and fourth offspring would be
succeeded by 64 and so on . But food
increases in an arithmetical series such as
2,4,6,8 He believed that world’s population
tend to increase at a faster rate than its food
supply .
 CONTD..
• The theory of Malthus relies on two(2) assumption that he
view as fixed namely:
• 1. FOOD
• 2. PASSION BETWEEN THE SEXESS
• According to him
• Population grows at a geometric rate .
• Food grows at an arithmetic rate .
• Malthus made a gloomy prediction that in a short period
of time , scarce resources will have to shared among an
increasing number of individuals
• Malthus distinguishes between two(2) categories :
1. PREVENTIVE CHECK:- It consist of voluntary
limitations of population growth . Individuals before
getting married and building a family , make rational
decisions based on the income they expect to earn
and quality of life .
2. POSITIVE CHECK:- The positive check to population is
a direct consequence of the lack of preventive check .
When society does not limit population growth
voluntarily, then :
a. Disease
b. Famines
c. Wars etc.
 CONTD……
Reduce population size and establishes the
necessary balance in resources .
A/TO Malthus the positive checks acts
more intensively in common disease. This is
due to the reason that infant mortality rate
is higher due to poverty and unhealthy
conditions .
 CONTD….
• The preventive and positive check population
by controlling population growth, eventually
close the mismatch between the:
1. Levels of population .
2. Availability of resources.
 Disequilibrium between
population and Food Supply
Since population increases in geometrical
progression and the food supply increases in
arithmetical progression
CRITICISM OF THE MALTHUS
DOCTRINE
1.The basic assumption of the Malthusian theory
are not correct
2.Malthusian notion on food supply is based on
static economic law i.e., law of diminishing
returns
3.The mathematical form of the theory is not
correct food is produced more than arithmetical
progression
 CONTD…
4. Malthus could not foresee the
opening up of new area rapid
improvement in the means of transport
acted as a catalyst in the process .
5. History does not support the facts of
Malthus.
6. Positive checks are not due over
population
 CONTD…
7. Increase in population is the result of a decline in death
rate .
8. Malthus adopted the inductive method in his principle .
Inductive method can not be of universal application .
9.Malthus has forgotten that time can change and when it
takes place food production can also increase.
A/TO Malthus ,every child born in family will survive , but
in communities where birth rate is high ,death rate is
also high.
 APPLICATION OF MALTHUSIAN THEORY IN
INDIA
• High rate of population growth.
• Low level of food production in the country .
• Positives are in operation . Thus , equilibrium
between food supply and birth rate alone does not
prove the operation of Malthus doctrine .
• Growing emphasis on family planning . Under family
scheme, intense efforts are made to popularize the
method of birth control . This is positive proof of the
influence of Malthusian doctrine.
 CONTD…
•Law of diminishing returns . The
tradition way of cultivation .
•India has a very low per capita
income . The slow growth in national
income was eaten up entirely by the
increase in numbers over the plan
period .
 CONTD..
• Malthus’s argument regarding the relationship
between population growth and population
capacity has been criticized .
• Malthus prediction and new prediction and new
reality that has been revealed to them .
• Malthus claimed that with a fixed amount of
land and a growing population , diminishing
marginal productivity would result in individuals
living constantly at a subsistence level .
THANK YOU…….