Explain the logic behind the demographic transition view.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In a demographic transition population growth will be controlled as incomes increase in a country. The argument is founded in the idea that as income increases, the marginal benefit of having additional children decreases. Thus population growth will slow as having large families becomes less and less attractive and economically necessary. The growing disincentive comes from the fact that in wealthier countries the cost of raising children increases as they require higher and higher costs of childcare, education and other investments. Also, the marginal benefits of having additional children decreases as children become less necessary for insuring care in old age. Thus from a demographic transition perspective population control is a step in producing improved incomes but that population control will follow income growth.