CHAPTER 6 MASECO
Malthusian population trap (low-level equilibrium
Doubling time - Period that a given population or other population trap) - The threshold population level anticipated
quantity takes to increase by its present size. by Thomas Malthus (1766–1834) at which population increase
was bound to stop because life sustaining resources, which
Rate of population increase - The growth rate of a increase at an arithmetic rate, would be insufficient to
population, calculated as the natural increase after adjusting support human population, which would increase at a
for immigration and emigration. geometric rate.
Natural increase - The difference between the birth rate and Malthusian Model can be illustrated by comparing the shape
the death rate of a given population. and position of curves representing population growth rates
and aggregate income growth rates when these two curves are
Net international migration - The excess of persons each plotted against levels of per capita income.
migrating into a country over those who emigrate from that
country. Microeconomic theory of fertility - The theory that family
formation has costs and benefits that determine the size of
Crude birth rate - The number of children born alive each families formed.
year per 1,000 population (often shortened to birth rate).
Family-planning programs - Public programs designed to
Death rate - The number of deaths each year per 1,000 help parents plan and regulate their family size.
population.
Other Issues. Many observers from both rich and poor
Total fertility rate (TFR) - The number of children that nations argue that the real problem is not population growth
would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her per se but one or all of the following four issues.
childbearing years and bear children in 1. Underdevelopment
accordance with the prevailing age-specific fertility rates. 2. World Resource Depletion and Environmental
Destruction
Life expectancy at birth – The number of years a newborn 3. Population Distribution
child would live if subjected to the mortality risks prevailing 4. Subordination of Women
for the population at the time of the child’s birth.
Population-poverty cycle – A theory to explain how poverty
Under-5 mortality rate - Deaths among children between and high population growth become reinforcing.
birth and 5 years of age per 1,000 live births.
A Simple Model - A basic model that economists use to
Youth dependency ratio - The proportion of young people demonstrate these adverse consequences of rapid population
under age 15 to the working population aged 16 to 64 in a growth is a simplification of the standard Solow-type
country. neoclassical growth equation.
Hidden momentum of population growth – The Seven Negative Consequences of Population Growth
phenomenon whereby population continues to increase even 1. Economic Growth
after a fall in birth rates because the large existing youthful 2. Poverty and Inequality
population expands the population’s base of potential parents. 3. Education
4. Health
Population pyramid – A graphic depiction of the age 5. Food
structure of the population, with age cohorts plotted on the 6. Environment
vertical axis and either population shares or numbers of males 7. International Migration
and females in each cohort on the horizontal axis.
Reproductive choice – The concept that women should be
Demographic transition – The phasing-out process of able to determine on an equal status with their husbands and
population growth rates from a virtually stagnant growth for themselves how many children they want and what
stage, characterized by high birth rates and death rates through methods to use to achieve their desired family size.
a rapid-growth stage with high birth rates and low death rates
to a stable, low-growth stage in which both birth and death
rates are low.
Demographic dividend—a period in which there are fewer
children to support, a larger fraction of women join or remain
in the workforce for longer periods of time, and there are more
available resources to invest in human capital
Replacement fertility – The number of births per woman that
would result in stable population levels.
