ABSTRACT
When in 1967 “zero population growth” was first mentioned as a goal of population policy, 1 it was not itself defended or discussed; only the means of reaching it were considered. Since that time, with ZPG becoming the name for a movement, a lively debate has ensued over the goal as well as the means. In what follows, I shall first consider some of the main developments in the debate, then search for what lies behind the debate, hoping to illuminate the nature of population policy.
