Population Studies cont'd
By A. Swaby-Burton, Contributor

IN THIS week's issue I will be looking at another question on population. Question: reduction in fertility as a population control policy is necessary to maintain social stability. Discuss with reference to developing countries. The following are the main points that should be included in the answer.

1. Population control policies are based on the premise that improvement in people's lives must be achieved through reduction in the rate of population growth.

2. Historically reduction in fertility is a major factor in reducing the rate of population increase.

3. According to the functionalist perspectives social stability in a society is achieved when the relations between its social institutions for example: family, education etc.) are interdependent and complementary. The interconnectedness and the compatibility of these institutions together with social processes make possible the biological, social and cultural continuity of society.

4. over the last four decades we have witnessed several economic and social disasters in developing countries, which have indeed raised great concern and aroused more scholarly interest in Malthus' prediction. Thus we saw the re-emergence of the two major schools of thought - the Neo-Malthusian and the anti-Malthusian.

5. The neo-Malthusian school painted a picture of doom. For instance one of its disciples, P Ehrlich predicted that food production had been outstripped by population increase in two-thirds of the developing countries between 1978 and 1989. The neo-Malthusians did not agree with Malthus's idea of moral restraint to reduce the rate of increase in a population, but believed in the use of other birth control methods such as contraception, and even abortion.

6. The anti-Malthusian school criticised the Malthusian perspective of overpopulation. Susan George, one of its disciples vehemently attached attempts by the neo-Malthusians to tackle the problems of developing countries primarily in terms of population control. Another Julian Simon, an American economist pointed out that Malthus overlooked the factor of human ingenuity in his analysis.

7. Points and examples to support position:

a. Over the years many developing countries experienced rapid growth, famine and epidemics, but progress in medicine, technology and biological skills ensured replacement, growth and stability. In many of these developing societies a "green revolution" has occurred, in which high yielding rice and wheat crops have been developed.

b. Therefore it is not a question of the ills of overpopulation but how people employ their skills and ingenuity to support an increasing population. For example the island of Mauritus in the 1960's had the fastest growing population in the world. Its population was projected to increase from one-half of a million people to around three million in four decades. Now this island has a limited land mass and sugar is the only cash crop. However, the ingenuity of the Mauritian government has enabled them to successfully cope with a population twice the size by use of new technologies, improved education and the better management of lands and better use of crops. Several other developing countries have successfully coped with rapidly increasing population. For example, Kenya with four percent yearly population growth still flourishes as a nation with stability.

c. Susan George, a major critic of reduction of fertility as a mode of population control, contended that population will decline automatically as people become better educated, health care improves and poverty is attacked.

d. Some third world governments in attempting to reduce the fertility rate, introduced laws to promote contraception. However, it must be pointed out, that human populations cannot be controlled by the use of coercive methods in democratic societies. For example such attempts by the Judian government have failed.

e. Also it must be noted that in many of these developing societies there is a resistance to birth control for both socio-economic and cultural reasons. The major socio-economic reasons for opting for large families in these societies are

(1) to ensure that there are enough workers to run the family's property and (2) to secure care and protection of parents against poverty in their old age. This of course is sound reasoning especially in a society where there is no welfare state and when we take into consideration the high mortality rate among the poor in these developing societies.

f. Both functionalist and conflict theorists has not supported population control policies (1) Functionalists argue that the growth of population in developed countries has been accompanied by indicators of progress and stability, improved education, life expectancy and per capita income levels. Thus they tend to view population growth as an asset. (ii) Conflict theorists contended that the concern about population explosion is just a sham to hide the real issues, which are really the over consumption of goods in developing countries, that leaves just one-fifth of the world's resources for the populations of the developing countries.

8. Possible conclusion - Reduction in fertility as a policy of population control does not guarantee the maintenance of social stability in developing societies. Once there is unequal distribution in the world, populations whether large or small will experience social, economic and environmental problems. Adapted from CAPE Specimen Paper.