ABSTRACT
When in 1967 "zero population growth" was first mentioned as a goal of population policy, it was not itself defended or discussed; only the means of reaching it were considered. This chapter first considers some of the main developments in the debate, then searches for what lies behind the debate, hoping to illuminate the nature of population policy. The author undertook to determine whether the population measures being pursued or advocated in official circles were likely to achieve ZPG. Although a prominent fellow demographer described the author as having "vigorously endorsed" the goal of ZPG, the question was simply, if ZPG is the goal, will the measures being adopted succeed or fail? For ZPG as a goal, it was unfortunate that the concept first arose in the context of a critique of family planning as the exclusive approach to population policy.
