Population

1) Vital rates- Vital rates refer to how fast vital statistics change in a population. There are 2 categories within vital rates: crude rates and refined rates. Crude rates measure vital statistics in a general population. Refined rates measure the change in vital statistics in a specific demographic.   2) Life tables- A life table is a table which shows, for a person at each age, what the probability is that they die before their next birthday. From this starting point, a number of statistics can be derived and thus also included in the table is:   the probability of surviving any particular year of age the remaining life expectancy for people at different ages the proportion of the original birth cohort still alive. Life tables are usually constructed separately for men and for women because of their substantially different mortality rates.    Construction of life tables   Age specific mortality rates are applied to a national population, typically of 100,000....

  Theory of Demographic Transition is a theory that throws light on changes in birth rate and death rate and consequently on the growth-rate of population.  Along with the economic development, tendencies of birth-rate and death rate are different. Because of it, growth rate of population is also different. According to this theory, economic development has the effect of bringing about a reduction in the death rate. The relationship between birth and death rates changes with economic development and a country has to pass through different stages of population growth.  C.P. Blacker divided population into five types as high, stationary, early expanding, low stationary and diminishing. According to the theory of demographic transition, population growth will have to pass through these different stages during the course of economic development. The four stages of demographic transition mentioned by Max are explained as follows: First Stage:-  This stage has been called ...

  The most well-known theory of population is the Malthusian theory. Thomas Robert Malthus wrote his essay on “Principle of Population” in 1798 and modified some of his conclusions in the next edition in 1803. His theory is very simple. To use his own words: “By nature human food increases in a slow arithmetical ratio; man himself increases in a quick geometrical ratio unless want and vice stop him.The increase in numbers is necessarily limited by the means of subsistence. Population invariably increases when the means of subsistence increase, unless prevented by powerful and obvious checks.” Malthus based his reasoning on the biological fact that every living organism tends to multiply to an unimaginable extent. Human beings are supposed to double every 25 years and a coup/e can increase to the size of the present population in 1,750 years. Such is the prolific nature of every specie. The power of procreation is inherent and insistent, and must find expression. Cantillon says, “Me...

INTRODUCTION Criticizing the approach of the Malthusian Theory of Population, modern economists Edwin Cannan and Carr Saunders of London School of Economics have developed a new theory known as Optimum Theory of Population. It is also called modern theory of population. In recent years, Prof. Robbins, Dalton and Carr- Saunders have refined and polished the theory and put it in a more presentable form. This theory is an improvement over the Malthusian Theory Statement of the Theory: The founders of the theory state it as “Given the natural resources, stock of capital and the state of technical knowledge, there will be a definite size of population with the per capita income. The population which has the highest per capita income is known as optimum population”. Optimum Population: The economists like Carr Saunders considered ‘optimum population’ as that which produces maximum welfare. On the other hand, Prof. Cannan defined this theory in terms of ‘return to labour’. He remarked, “Knowl...