MALTHUSIAN THEORY OF PRINCIPAL OF POPULATION

INTRODUCTION 

Though the history vague thinking of population resource nexus dates back to the days of Plato, Thomas Malthus was the first person to systematize information on this matter and initiate many views expressed in his first essay which later came to be known as the Malthusian Principle Of Population. Since then several scholars have attempted to search for some law governing population growth. A distinction has been made between natural law-based population theories and social theories of population. Malthus, undoubtedly, was the first scholar to propound a population theory based on natural law. Other chief natural law theories propounded during the 19th century included those of Michael Thomas Sadler, Thomas Doubleday, Herbert Spencer, etc. The social theorist, on the other hand, included Henry George, Arsene Dumont, David Ricardo, and Karl Marx. 

In this assignment, we have covered the many relevant theories of the population like – Malthusian, Marx, Neo-Malthusian, and Amartya Sen’s approach regarding the theories of population and Demographic Transition Model. We sincerely made effort to analyze the relationship between population growth and available resource base to sustain its growing population & to establish the fact that the demographic transformation of the society takes place simultaneously with the socio-economic transformation of the society through the above-mentioned theories of population.

MALTHUSIAN THEORY OF PRINCIPAL OF POPULATION

Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834)was an English demographer and political economist who published “An Essay on Principle of Population ”in 1798 just a little more than John Grant published his first population research. He use an empirical approach to analyze the population problem as he based his theory of population on the experience of west European countries. Malthus did not view the relationship between the population and economy optimistically, indeed his view was so much on the pessimistic view of population. 

Mercantilism Phase (16TH – 18TH century):- During the time of Malthus, almost all the countries like Spain, Portugal, the UK, etc. adopted the economic policy of mercantilism to increase national view and power. Countries also develop their social and economic condition significant fall in death rate was taken place. That is why the growth of the population was significantly high. 

Industrial Revolution (1760-1840):- During this period Industrial Revolution results in drastic changes in the production in production. In such a situation the demand for workers increases so, a large number of populations was considered to be an essential factor. It gave huge revenue to Govt. as a result huge investment was given to socio-economic sectors. It leads to a decline in mortality and an increase in longevity of human life which results in high population growth. Renesas: This was a period in European history-making in the thought process. 

Mr. Godwin (1756-1836) & Condorcet (1743-1794):- Both Godwin and Condorcet were two Utopian writers of the time, they had written treatises describing an ideal or utopian society (perfect situation in the world). After reading Godwin and Condorcet's essays to express his objections to the utopians, the opening line of his preface says,” The following essay owes its origin to a conversation with a friend, on the subject of Mr. Godwin’s essay”. 

Optimistic utopia:- It is an imaginary concept. Here Godwin said if a person works 30 minutes in a day then he can sort out all the problems. He can easily earn bread and butter. Malthus opposed the utopian view. At this time, Malthus realized if the problem increases day by day then it will create a big problem. 

ASSUMPTIONS:- He gave some assumptions for his theory such as: 

(1)Food is necessary to the existence of man.

(2)Passion between to sexes is necessary and will remain nearly in the present state. 

In the first edition of the essay Malthus began with these two assumptions later in the sixth edition of his essay, Malthus added 3 more assumptions. 

(1)Population is necessarily limited means of subsistence. 

(2)Population invariably increases were the means of subsistence increase unless presented by some very powerful and obvious check. 

(3)The check which represses of population and its effects on a level with the means of subsistence are resoluble into moral restraint and measure.

THEME OF THE THEORY:-

  The principle of population is relatively simple and can be presented in Malthus’s own words, “….Assuming then my postulate as granted, I say that the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.Population when unchecked ,increases in a geometric ratio(1,2,4,8,16,32,64), subsistence increase in an arithmetic ration (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) .A slight acquaintance with numbers will show the immensity of the first power in comparison of the second” 

  Population increases at geometric progress: It starting from 1 population in a successive period of 25 years will be 1,2, 4, 8, 16, 32,64, 128, 256. the increase become so large that there is no space in the world for all the people to stand. Population will be double (25): 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 (Geometric progress). 

  Food supply increases in arithmetical progress: Food supply increases at a slow arithmetical rate due to the operation of the law of diminishing results. Thus, the successive similar periods will be 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9Means of subsistence (25):1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9(Arithmetic progress).After 200 years, the proportion of the population would be to the means of subsistence as 256: 9. 

CHECKS:- According to Malthus, he pointed out that there are two kinds of checks to correct the imbalance between population and food supply; it can be natural and artificial. 

(1) Preventive checks:- Abstinence from marriage temporary or permanently, like self-control and voice in which he included birth control and abortion. 

(2) Positive checks:- Not caused by human beings themselves. It is favorable methods adopted by nature, including wars, floods, earthquakes, disease, hunger, poverty, and particular lack of food. 

CRITICISM:-

(1) The basic assumption of the Malthusian theory is not correct, the basic premise on the passion between two sexes has been criticized. Earlier time proportion of having passion and having a baby is nearly the same nowadays. Passion can exist between the same sexes which does not lead to population. 

(2) The availability of the contraction in the market retards population growth significantly. 

(3) Malthus said that the population doubles every 25 years. The doubling time of population is also thoughtful.

(4) It is very much necessary for transporting food from food surplus region to food deficient region to ensure food security. 

(5)He undermines the role of various revolutions, as for medical, transport, industrial, and technological. (6)Population growth has increased 4 times in India and food. Food supply > rate of growth of population. This case is true in many countries. So, Malthus stands wrong in the case of India, a developing country. During that time the UK was a developing country. 

(7)He gave his theory based on two sectors of the economy. One dependent on agriculture and another on industries. At that time agriculture engaged a lot many numbers people and the share of the service sector was less. 

(8)Doubling time of the population was also doubtful. Thumb rule of 72 to calculate the population doubling time. It applies to 98-99% of causes. If population growth is 2 then, 

                        Thumb rule of population = 72/Annual growth of population =72/2 =36 Population will be double in 36 years. The doubling time of Mexican people is 30 years, the doubling time of USA people is 150, and the doubling time of Japan can’t be calculated, their population growth is very low. 

CONCLUSION:- Despite all these criticism, the Malthusian theory of population growth has been successful to highlight the urgent need of maintaining a balanced relationship between population and means of subsistence. It is the influence of Malthus's principle of population that people of today realize the need for size within a reasonable limit. However, at the global level, Malthus has found ethos in the recent literature. 

                          Above all, the Malthusian principle of population-initiated theory building is agreed in the form of neo- Malthusianism, and thus his ideas and work are of great importance.