Population problem and economic development :a critique of neo Malthusianism

Abstract

In recent years much has been written on "population problem”. It is suggested by the neo-Malthusians that the, under-developed countries today are in a “population trap'' and that “over-population" happens to be a major obstacle for them in their efforts to get out the "vicious circle of poverty". It is emphasized in the neo-Malthusian literature that the future pattern of social and economic development in the countries of the Third World will be determined mainly by demographic factors. The object of this paper is to indicate that the neo-Malthusian thesis on causes of underdevelopment and poverty in the countries of the Third World lacks totally any scientific validity. What it considers cause is in fact the consequence of poverty. The so-called '"population problem" or "overpopulation" reflected in widespread urban unemployment and rural underemployment stems from the social and economic structure s of the underdeveloped countries.