ACTIVITY 7

7.1
Country Population Positive effect to Negative effect to
Economy Economy
India 1.2 billion Major steps which Their economic
have been already inequality leads to
implemented, like poverty, lack of
increasing the welfare free medical
and status of women assistance, lack of
and girls, spread of social security and
education bad living
conditions
Canada 37 million Technological With increases in
advances including Canada's
efficiencies in population, there
manufacturing has been an
processes, including expansion in the
mechanized assembly number of vehicles
lines, assisted in on the road. This,
reducing the cost of in turn, has
automobiles. Socio- increased pressure
economic factors such on the
as higher household environment. The
incomes, smaller-sized southern portion of
households, and more the province is also
women in the well-known for its
workforce meant that transportation-
more Canadian related air pollution
families could afford problems
to buy and operate
vehicles.
Philippines 104 million many people leave the Overpopulation
country for work. An hinders the
average of 2,500 country’s effort to
Filipinos leave the satisfy the needs of
country every day for the citizens. The
work abroad, Filipino Philippines has one
workers abroad sent of the highest
home US$6.8 billion unemployment rate
in 1999 alone. A large at 7% amongst
proportion of these Southeast Asian
remittances come from countries With so
women who are the many able-bodied
majority of overseas worker but very
 Filipino workers. low Job
Opportunities.

Guide questions:
1. Many experts concluded that rapid population growth would eventually be checked by
some absolute limit on resources (such as food, energy, or water). There was mounting
evidence, too, that continued population growth and the environmental stresses
associated with economic development could cause irreversible damage to the
environmental systems that support life. If you want to control the continuing growing
population of a certain country there are many other ways rather than birth control. The
French delegates tried to maintain a stance of ambivalence though they were wary of
contraception on the grounds that it encouraged the idea of seeking sexual pleasure
without taking the responsibility of the consequences of the act. According to them, it
devalued the institution and sanctity of marriage and family values. For the Catholic
Church, birth control was illicit and immoral and went against the basic tenet of
Christianity. Till the 1920s, most medical opinion was also against birth control, as it
considered it unhealthy and immoral.

2. Their argument goes as follows: More people and more consumption cause problems
in the short run, such as pollution or resource shortages. But short-term scarcity raises
prices and pollution causes public agitation and this attracts entrepreneurs who will come
up with technological solutions and develop better ways to do things.
And in the long run, these developments will leave us better off than if the problems
hadn’t arisen at all. In other words, it’s always darkest before the dawn. “We shouldn’t
fear the arrival of more people because they are the bearers of the real resource, human
intelligence,” said Sheldon Richman, editor of the libertarian publication “The Freeman.”
“Technology is the result of applied human intelligence. And technology helps us push
back the carrying capacity of the world. It creates resources. In effect, it makes them
infinite.”

3. Advantage of rapid population growth:

If the population is above the optimum size, the country will be able to make better use
of its resources.(2) The size of markets will increase. This should enable firms to take
greater advantage of economies of scale.(3) There may be an increase in factor mobility
if the rise has resulted from an increase in the birth rate or immigration. Expanding
industries can recruit new workers to the labour force. These people are likely to be
familiar with new ideas and methods. If this is the case, firms’ training costs will be
reduced. (4) Extra demand will be generated. This is likely to stimulate investment and
this may lead to introduction of new technology. (5)A rise in the labour force presently
due to net immigration and in the future, caused by a rise in the birth rate.