Week 12: Population Theories including Theory of Demographic Transition and Malthusian Theory

Population theories are designed to explain or predict the interaction between changes in population and social, economic, psychological or other factors. They include purely conceptual treatments.

Population theories are often concerned with the numerical study of population its growth and its variables along with the relationship between population changes and other variables like social, economic, biological, genetic, geographical, environment and health.

In demography, demographic transition is a phenomenon and theory which refers to the historical shift from high birth rates and high infant death rates in societies with minimal technology, education (especially of women) and economic development, to low birth rates and low death rates in societies with advanced technology, education and economic development, as well as the stages between these two scenarios.

Malthusian theory of population growth says that population growth occurs exponentially, so it increases according to birth rate. For example, if every member of a family tree reproduces, the tree will continue to grow with each generation. On the other hand, food production increases arithmetically, so it only increases at given points in time. Malthus wrote that, left unchecked, populations can outgrow their resources.

Download Files

pop-theories.pdf (8.98 MB )