Relationship between Population and Development

SOCIOLOGY OF THE CARIBBEAN, UNIT 2 POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT. WEEK BEGINNING,

January 15, 2024

The Sociological Perspectives on Development

A Modernization

Dependency / Plantation

World System

Convergence

Relationship between Population and Development

(a) Urbanisation.

(b) Industrialisation.

(c) Migration.

Urbanization and Distribution

Urbanization is the growth in the proportion of the population living in urban areas – the process of
people moving to cities and other densely settled areas (STATIN 2016) Population distribution refers the
geographic dispersal of population within a country or other area. (STATIN 2016). The definition of
urban differs from country to country and overtime. Most countries use as a basis for a definition, a
fixed minimum population size while others use additional social, economic or political characteristics to
define urban places. Mohammed (2014); Chinapoo (2014) Mustapha (2013),

Since 1960, Jamaican censuses have defined urban as all localities with a population of 2000 or more
persons and which have a number of amenities and utilities that in Jamaica is indicative of modern
living. . A direct consequence of the high levels of internal movements in Jamaica since the early-
twentieth century, has been the growth and development of urban centres, the most significant of
which has been the growth of the Kingston Metropolitan Area. The earliest signs of urban growth can
be traced to the post 1921 period when there was marked acceleration in population movement
towards Kingston and St Andrew.

Table 1.

The 2011 population census figures show that over one half (54% ) the population of Jamaica lived in
areas classified as urban at the time of the census ( STATIN 2016 ). This represents an increase of 1.9
percentage points since 2001 and [Link] urban population moved from 1,355,334 to 1,453, 438
between 2001 and 2011. Four parishes have urban populations in excess of 50 per cent of the total
parish population: Kingston which is classified as all urban, St Andrew ( 88% ) St. Catherine ( 77% ) and
St James ( 60 % ) (STATIN 2016 ) .
Relationship between Population and Development

One of the most significant aspects of urbanization in Jamaica which has been evident since 1970, has
been the development and growth of urban centres outside of the parish capitals. Some of the centres
have actually surpassed the population of the parish capitals. Perhaps the most outstanding growth
witnessed over the past three decades has been the development of Portmore community in south –
eastern St Catherine. This section of the parish was a largely uninhabited area in 1970 with a population
of about 5,100. By 1982 the population had grown to 77, 600, and 23.3 per cent of the population of St
Catherine.

Table2.

GROWTH OF PORTMORE: 1970-2011

CENSUS YEAR POPULATION POPULATION INCREASE % Share of total Parish

Population
1970 5, 100 2.8
1982 77,600 72,500 23.3
1991 98,600 18,500 24.6
2001 161,700 63,100 33.3
2011 182,153 20, 453 35.3

In 2001, Portmore combined with the smaller adjoining and equally fast growing community of Hellshire
which had been reclassified as urban. By 2011 Portmore accounted for 35.3 per cent of the population
of St. Catherine.

Rural Area

A rural area is any place which does not meet the urban area criteria as it relates to the population and
modern living. Mohammed (2014 ) ; Mustapha (2013 ). Results from the 2011 population census show
that, in Jamaica, the parishes of Hanover, St Elizabeth and Trelawny recorded the highest proportion of
rural populations: 89.5 per cent, 85.0 per cent and 80. 9 per cent respectively

How does Population Growth Impact Rapid Urbanization?

While people are moving from place to place more and more, the world is undergoing the largest wave
of urban growth in history. More than half of the world’s population is living in cities and this is
increasing at rate of 1.5 percent. This rapid urbanization coupled with population growth is changing the
landscape of human settlement, posing significant risks on living conditions, the environment, and
development.

Urbanization, cities

Water and sanitation: The total number of people living in cities without safe water and adequate
sanitation has continually increased because infrastructure improvements have not kept up with rapid
Relationship between Population and Development

urbanization rates. Consequently, city dwellers are at risk of damaging health issues, such as waterborne
illnesses like diarrheal disease, one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of five.
Chinapoo (2014)

Slums and informal settlements: The failure of urban planning and investment in infrastructure in the
face of rapid urbanization and population growth has resulted in the development of slums and informal
settlements in cities across the globe. Residents of slums and informal settlements suffer from poor
housing, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation, overcrowding, and a constant risk of being
removed from their homes. A lack of investments and political will to improve these informal
settlements has created enduring problems for slum dwellers. Mohammed (2014 ); Mustapha ( 2013 )

Sprawl: The phenomenon of urban sprawl, a form of urbanization, can be detrimental to both
communities and the environment. With more people moving away from city centers, new construction
can destroy wildlife habitat and introduce invasive plants and animals. Additionally, the dependency on
cars intensifies noise, traffic, air pollution, and reduces the potential for exercise. Mohammed (2014)
highlights a case study: Urbanisation in Jamaica page 341, attests rural-urban population migration as
the main factor leading to the growth. Mohammed (2014) explains this movement by a set of “push –
pull factors which induce the migrant to leave the countryside and move to work and live in the urban
area.

 Push factors include the constant challenges associated with agriculture-low wages, seasonal
employment, vulnerability to floods, pests and other natural disasters- as well as its low status
and association with hard work and few rewards. Other than the economic factor, people may
wish to leave because the rural area is not well equipped with roads , telephone , electricity
and water supplies , which are the hallmarks of a developed country(Mohammed 2014 page
340 ) Social services may be irregular or non –existent ( postal , police , health and education
services ) as well as entertainment options Mohammed (2014 )
 Pull factors mainly consist of the perception that the urban area provides the promise of a
better quality of life. The industries, factories and different kinds of business enterprises,
according to Mohammed (2014) exert a ‘pull’ on the would be migrant who imagine higher
wages and easier work than in farming, fishing or mining.

Consequences of rural-urban migration

In the urban areas:

 rural-urban migration leads to a shortage of adequate housing in the city, overcrowding and, the
development of a range of sub-standard dwellings in slums, ghettos and shanty towns. Many of
the migrants resort to squatting on unsafe lands such as steep hillsides.
 crowded living quarters create the conditions for disease and pollution especially in areas not
well served by a clean water supply and garbage collection services
Relationship between Population and Development

 migrants do find work, but many others are underemployed –work for a few hours or for little
money – many others are unemployed. In such circumstances crime can become a way of life ,
so cities much more than rural areas are associated with a rise in crime
 The influx of thousands to the city every year causes traffic congestion, urban sprawl and
pressure on existing resources – water and electricity supply, schools, health and other services.

In the rural areas

 depopulation of the countryside results from urban drift;

 with the decline in total numbers there are lower rates of natural increase
 in particular, the young and able-bodied move away with those with skills and higher levels of
education.
 Rural areas therefore do not have the human resources for development and remain
economically depressed

Migration: One of the main factors driving rapid urbanization in emerging economies is rural-urban
migration motivated by social, political, or environmental reasons. This rapid influx of people into cities
can exacerbate the problems of poverty, slum development, and social disruption that often affect the
most vulnerable segments of the population.

Rapid urbanization matched with continuous population growth will put big pressures on infrastructure,
the environment, and the social fabric of cities. How the world meets the challenge of sustainable
development in the face of rapid urbanization will continue to be at the forefront of public policy.

Rapid urbanization is one of the topics for the 2016-2017 World of 7 Billion student video contest. For
more information on population and rapid urbanization, check out the contest background resources.

Human Population: Urbanization

Question and Answer: What are the social implications of rapid population growth in less developed
countries?

Through most of history, the human population has lived a rural lifestyle, dependent on agriculture and
hunting for survival. In 1800, only 3 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas. By 1900,
almost 14 percent were urbanites, although only 12 cities had 1 million or more inhabitants. In 1950, 30
Relationship between Population and Development

percent of the world's population resided in urban centers. The number of cities with over 1 million
people had grown to 83.

The world has experienced unprecedented urban growth in recent decades. In 2008, for the first time,
the world's population was evenly split between urban and rural areas. There were more than 400 cities
over 1 million and 19 over 10 million. More developed nations were about 74 percent urban, while 44
percent of residents of less developed countries lived in urban areas. However, urbanization is occurring
rapidly in many less developed countries. It is expected that 70 percent of the world population will be
urban by 2050, and that most urban growth will occur in less developed countries.

What is an urban area? An urban area may be defined by the number of residents, the population
density, the percent of people not dependent upon agriculture, or the provision of such public utilities
and services as electricity and education. Chinapoo (2014) A population density is defined as the
number of people living per unit of an area (e.g. per square mile); the number of people relative to the
space occupied by them

Total mid – year population

Total land area

With an area of 10,991 km2 and with the 2011 population , using the above formula , the [population
density for the island can be calculated as :

Population Density = 2, 697, 983 =245 .47

10, 991

In 2011, Jamaica had population density of 245 persons per km2.

Some countries define any place with a population of 2,500 or more as urban; others set a minimum of
20,000. There are no universal standards, and generally each country develops its own set of criteria for
distinguishing urban areas.

he United States uses a population density measure to define urban with a minimum population
requirement of 2,500. The classification of metropolitan includes both urban areas as well as rural areas
that are socially and economically integrated with a particular city.

When comparing countries it is often helpful to look beyond the proportion of populations that are rural
or urban and instead consider the size of cities. Countries differ markedly in the distribution of their
urban population. For example, many urban dwellers in Africa live in cities of fewer than 10,000
residents. In Argentina, 92 percent of the 2007 population was urban, and 32 percent of these people
lived in just one city, Buenos Aires. In 2007, 38 percent of the world's urbanites lived in agglomerations
of 1 million or more inhabitants, and 15 percent resided in agglomerations of 5 million or more. Only 8
percent of Americans live in cities of 1 million or more.
Relationship between Population and Development

Migration or Natural Increase

A city grows through natural increase—the excess of births over deaths—and because the in-migration
of people from other cities, rural areas, or countries is greater than out-migration. More developed and
less developed countries of the world differ not only in the percent living in cities, but also in the way in
which urbanization is occurring.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, urbanization resulted from and contributed to
industrialization. New job opportunities in the cities spurred the mass movement of surplus
population .away from the countryside. At the same time, migrants provided cheap, plentiful labor for
the emerging factories. While the proportion increased through rural to urban migration, high death
rates in the cities slowed urban growth. Cities were unhealthy places because of crowded living
conditions, the prevalence of contagious diseases, and the lack of sanitation. Until the mid-1800s, the
number of deaths exceeded births in many large European cities. Migration accounted for as much as 90
percent of city growth during this period.

Urbanization in most less developed countries in the past 50 years contrasts sharply with the experience
of the more developed countries. Death rates have fallen faster in urban areas because of greater access
to health services. Because birth rates are relatively high in most less developed countries, the rates of
natural increase are also quite high in cities. Migration also fuels urban growth in less developed
countries as people leave the countryside in search of better jobs.

See case study: Jamaican Migration Behaviours, Mohammed (2014) page 342. There are strong links
between migration and development. The aforementioned case study highlights some of theses.

Industrialization

Industrialization can be defined as: The process in which a society or country (or world) transforms itself
from a primarily agricultural society into one based on the manufacturing of goods and services.

(Mustapha 2013 p. 348) describes it as the continuous uses of sophisticated technology designed to
harness and develop natural resources. As noted, this process usually entails urbanization, greater
division of labour , retraining and mechanization

Industrialization is the system of production that has arisen from the steady development, study, and
use of scientific knowledge. It is based on the division of labor and on specialization and uses
mechanical, chemical, and power-driven, as well as organizational and intellectual, aids in production.
The primary objective of this method of organizing economic life, which had its genesis in the mid-
eighteenth century, has been to reduce the real cost, per unit, of producing goods and services.
Relationship between Population and Development

By the early 20th century, agriculture was not providing enough money or jobs for the growing
population of the Caribbean. Land was limited, soil was exhausted and could only produce so many
crops which could be sold for so only so much money. Meaningful research for strategies to attain
development for economic progress was the new mainstay of countries in the British colonized
Caribbean. “Industrialization by Invitation”, a development strategy pronounced by William Arthur
Lewis, encouraged the invitation of foreign guests by the host nation to manufacture in its space just like
that of the Puerto Rican Bootstrap Model in order to reduce the dependence on sugar and agricultural
produce in the economy.

Governments at this time favoured the nature of this approach and pushed for industrialization as it
was argued that it would provide the capital that could not be raised locally, it would contribute to
economic growth, provide jobs for surplus labourers and it would provide an alternative to the heavy
dependence on income from agriculture improving the social and economic conditions of the working
class in the West Indies. This would overcome several barriers to industrialization including limited
capital, lack of fuel, limited knowledge of industry, few workers and technical skills and few
entrepreneurs. In addition , the governments of the Caribbean also directly intervened by inculcating in
people, skills , knowledge and technical expertise to drive a more industrial –type economy. However,
these ventures have had limited success. Industrialisation by invitation was not sustainable because it
relied too much on foreign companies who were not committed to sharing skills and expertise locally.

References

Mohammed. JSOCIOLOGY FOR CAPE EXAMINATION 2oi4 Macmillan Education. 4 Criman Street,
London NI9XW.A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

Mustapha, N. SOCIOLOGY FOR CARIBBEAN STUDENTS 2013, w2nd 2nd Edition Kingston, Ian
Randle: Publishers.

Mustapha, N. SOCIOLOGY FOR CARIBBEAN STUDENTS 2018. Car long Publishers Caribbean) 37
Second Street, Kingston 13

Statistical Institute of Jamaica STUDENTS; HANDBOOK Sociology