ABSTRACT
The widely accepted explanation of what tripped the population wire in the Third World is that a rapid drop in death rates occurred without a parallel drop in birth rates. With more people living longer, but as many babies still being born, populations began to grow fast. This chapter examines optimistic and pessimistic views of the relation between population and resources. To some, population growth is no threat at all. To the contrary, it may actually contribute to economic development and higher living standards. Julian Simon, author of The Ultimate Resource, is perhaps the best-known advocate of this position. While Simon’s view is not widely accepted, his influence can be easily detected in recent mainstream pronouncements on population. The social perspective takes a look beneath the threat of populations overrunning resources to ask why Third World populations are growing so fast, pointing to a complex interaction of economic, social and cultural forces that keeps Third World fertility high.
