Why does high population growth cause problems in countries with low economic growth Quizlet
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population growth can cause a global crisis population-poverty cycle would get worse negative effects on economic growth, poverty & inequality, education, health, food, environment and international migration Define economic development Increase in the economic welfare or well being of a nation's population (not merely economic growth). Involves but not limited to increases in GDP, education and healthcare. Development objectives government pursue tend to be based around 1) Increases in output of essential goods and services (Real GDP increase) 2) Improving standards of education and healthcare 3) Invest in infrastructure such as roads, ports and telecommunications 4) Expanding social choice (a more tolerant society) Characteristics of a developed economy - Healthy, well educated population Characteristics of a developing economy - Little or no education and a low life expectancy Development indicators to assess how developed a country is - GDP per Capita Reasons why some countries remain less developed than others - Insufficient investment in education and healthcare Define Absolute Poverty Household's income is less than $1 a day OR Household's income is insufficient to purchase the minimum bundle of goods and services need for survival Define Relative Poverty Household's income is insufficient to allow its member to participate in the normal social life of the country. Household income below 50% of median household income. Exists in all countries. Reasons why incomes may be low and therefore cause relative poverty - Lack of education Consequences of relative poverty - Low living standards Reasons why a government might not have accurate knowledge regarding the level of poverty Much services provided in developing countries is on black market thus, government is unaware (i.e. grandma babysit instead of taking to daycare). Government might UNDER estimate real GDP per Capita, thus OVER estimate level of poverty. Often population statistics are just estimates in developing countries, thus GDP per Capita and Poverty is hard to measure Many of really poor people in developing countries have no fixed address, thus don't appear on statistics. Government might UNDER estimate real level of poverty. Government often intervene in their own economies to reduce absolute and relative poverty by - Increasing the accessibility to good education for all children Overseas aid Government and aid agencies from developed countries providing aid (food, financial, technological, loans and debt relief) to alleviate poverty in developing countries Food Aid Developed countries to countries expecting food shortages or famine ADV: DIS: Financial Aid Developed countries to developing countries WITHOUT need for repayment ADV: DIS: Technological Aid Aid in form of modern technology e.g. building modern power plants to provide electricity / advanced machinery for production. ADV: DIS: Loans (Aid) Money given to developing countries by: government, IMF, World Bank ADV: DIS: Debt Relief (Aid) Many developing countries are unable to pay back borrowed money. Unable to pay interest on debt, thus debt grows each year. Debt is sometimes written of by the lender country. ADV: DIS: Aid Evaluation FOR: AGAINST: Standards of living in a developed country will usually be greater than those in developing countries. HOWEVER - Ue people in
developed countries will not have as high a living standard as many people in developing countries Will an increase in GDP reduce poverty in a country? - Type of extra products produced (guns/bread) Define Net inward migration More people entering the country (immigrants) than leaving (emigrants) Define Net outward migration More people leaving the country (emigrants) than entering (immigrants) Define Net migration Difference between number of immigrants and emigrants
Over population Too many people in a country/area for the resources of that country/area to support. GDP per head is lower than what's possible and country would benefit from a decrease in population or increase in resources. Under population Not enough people in a country/area relative to the resources of that country/area. GDP per head is lower that what is possible and the country would benefit from an increase in population as this would allow resources to be used to a greater extent. Define Birth rate Number of births per year per 1,000 of the country's population Define Fertility rate Number of children a woman has on average over her life time
There are a number of reasons for the differences in birth rates between countries such as: Living standards In developing countries where the standard of living is low, thus healthcare is poo, infant mortality is high and families must have many children to ensure a male heir survives to take care of parents in old age There are a number of reasons for the differences in birth rates between countries such as: Contraception Use of contraception and abortion has dramatically decreased birth rates in developed countries. There are a number of reasons for the differences in birth rates between countries such as: Customs and religion Many people, particularly from less developed countries, hold religious beliefs that don't allow them to use contraception = higher birth rate There are a number of reasons for the differences in birth rates between countries such as: Changes in female employment Developing countries females are poorly educates, thus little chance of finding well paid job. No opportunity cost to having a large family (female has no worthwhile job to give up). Countries where females are well educated, they have good jobs and thus large families comes with high opportunity costs (loss of an income). Thus, these families tend to have 1/2 children so that the female can remain employed. There are a number of reasons for the differences in birth rates between countries such as: Marriage Developed countries nowadays get married later in life (30s) thus have less children. Developing countries people get married younger thus greater chance of more children. Why the birth rate is decreasing in many countries - Women are marrying later thus having less children Will a fall in the birth rate benefit and economy? YES: NO: Define death rate Number of deaths per year per 1,000 of the country's population Reasons for the difference in death rates between countries: Living standards Better quality food, clothing, sanitation and shelter have helped improve health and life expectancy in developed countries. Reasons for the difference in death rates between countries: Medical Advances and Healthcare Advances in medicine and healthcare has reduced the number of deaths by diseases e.g. small pox and cholera in developed countries. However, these diseases still exist in some developing countries curtailing life expectancy Reasons for the difference in death rates between countries: Natural Disasters and Wars Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, droughts, war, etc. has a devastating effect on average life expectancy and affect developing countries far more than developed countries Net migration Explanation Every year almost 3 million
people emigrate form less developed countries to developed countries. Because of this: People usually migrate from less developed countries for the following reasons: Important characteristics of population 1) Age distribution: How many people are
in different age groups Age Distribution Age Distribution: Ageing Population: Sex Distribution The ratio of males to females in a population Reasons for gender imbalances - Wars that result in the deaths among young adult males The rate of population growth may differ between a developed and developing country A developing country is likely to have a higher population growth rate due to a higher birth rate from a high infant mortality rate - more babies born to ensure survival of male heir. A developed country is likely to have a lower population growth rate due to a lower birth rate from a low infant mortality rate. Increasing GDP per Capita may lead to a reduced birth rate because - People have money to take care themselves in old age therefore do not need many children Extent to which an ageing population is a serious economic problem Serious because: Not serious because: Countries with a high population growth rate may have a lower average income because - If the population size is rising faster than GDP then GDP per Capita will fall Why the tertiary sector is more important in developed economies a) As economies develop, wages increase and people have more income. This extra income is spent on services rather than goods, which is why the tertiary sector grows in importance in developed economies b) Over time the prices of services have risen much faster than the price of manufactured goods. Therefore developed economies have tended to specialise in services Why the secondary sector is less important in developed economies As a country develops wages rise. Therefore developed countries are uncompetitive in the production of manufacturing goods compared to countries such as India, China. Therefore developed countries' manufacturing sectors declines Why the primary sector becomes less important as an economy develops As an economy develops, wages rise. Rising wages causes developed countries to become uncompetitive in the extraction of primary resources and therefore they have to import them. This decreases the size of the primary sector in the developed country Problems caused by a rapidly rising population - High population growth puts pressure on resources such as healthcare,
education, etc. Why a rapidly rising population might not lead to problems - The increase in population may well lead to enough increased demand to create jobs for the extra people when they come of working age Will government policies can always reduce poverty in a developing country? - Progressive taxation and redistribution should go some way alleviating absolute poverty in developing countries however the ability of developing countries to collect taxes in poor Should a government be concerned about a fall in the country's population size? YES: NO: |
