ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how population control, as the dominant norm guiding global population policy, was diffused internationally from 1965 to 1973. It demonstrates that in accordance with constructivism's insights, the United States did change its interests and identity in relation to the social structure at the time. The chapter also examines why population growth became a global "problem" in the mid- 1960s. It aims to detail how the United States government became committed to solving this perceived problem, and to establish the important role played by the population control establishment. The chapter also explores how population control conceptualized women as well as the "best methods" for achieving population control. In 1951, India became the first country in the developing world to initiate a state- sponsored family planning program. Unlike Egypt, Mexico, and India, where national scholars had discussed population control, indigenous debate within Kenya was scant and largely foreign-inspired.
