Thomas Robert Malthus: 

  The Visionary Economist..

Created by:- W.A.I. Shavindi / W.R. Hansani

Concept by:- W. Dilini Peiris/ L. Pirunthapana

Act by:-  W.A.I. Shavindi/ J. Rajapaksha/ Raini Charuka/ W.R. Hansani/ R. Yalini

Article 01

    Beyond the Theory: 

The Life and Legacy of Malthus

"No limits whatever are placed to the productions of the earth;

 they may increase forever."

Thomas Malthus

• Thomas Robert Malthus is a renowned British Economist, who was well-known for the famous theory of Malthusianism. He was born on 13th February 1766 in Surrey, United Kingdom.

• Malthus belonged to a prosperous family where his father held a strong liberal idea influenced by philosophers.

• He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge and graduated in 1788.

• Thomas Malthus was a demographer, who presented his most influential work through his book, “An Essay on the Principle of Population”.

• This book addressed social phenomena like excessive growth of population, famine, and poverty.

• Thomas Malthus joined the Political Economy Club after being admitted as a member of the Royal Society in 1819. There, he collaborated on projects with other economists like David Ricardo & James Mill.

• Malthus was one of the co-founders of the London Statistical Society.

• Three factors affected the formation of Malthusianism theory:

1. The pressure of population on England’s food supply.
2. Increasing poverty of the lower-income classes.
3. To prove that the basic views of the writers, William Godwin and Marquis De Condorcet are not correct.

Malthusian Theory of Population

• Malthusian Theory was developed in the context of classical economics.

• Malthusian Theory is about population growth and its impact on resources and living standards. Malthus argued that the population will grow in a geometric progression while the food production will grow in an arithmetic progression.

• As a result of this disparity between population growth and food production, population growth would eventually hit a limit, leading to a crisis characterized by famine, diseases, wars and other forms of suffering.

Written By: W.R Hansani, W.A.I Shavindi, J.Rajapaksha

References

• Study.com.https://study.com/learn/lesson/thomas-robert-malthus-biography-economics-theory population.html https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Thomas_Robe

• Malthus.jpg/472px-Thomas_Robert_Malthus.jpg. (n.d.). Www.google.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from  https://images.app.goo.gl/nuoEDny7u55Cb5Ph6

Article 02

Malthusian Theory: A Historical Journey

"The histories of mankind are histories only of the higher classes."

Thomas Malthus

• Thomas Malthus developed the Malthusian theory in the late 18th century amid significant cultural and economic changes. Understanding the evolution and impact of the Malthusian idea requires knowledge of its historical setting.

• Malthus offered a gloomy viewpoint. He stated in his 1798 book "Essay on the Principle of Population" that poverty and misery were not the result of political and social institutions and that changes in these institutions would not remove the evils of the society. Malthus argued that human beings, in the “absence of checks on population” will tend to increase food supply arithmetically human population expanded geometrically, eventually beyond the planet's capacity to sustain it. Further, he believed that these natural checks on population growth were necessary to prevent overpopulation and its negative consequences.

• His observations of the impoverished and their living conditions in contrast to the comparatively modest rise of agricultural productivity had a significant impact on Malthus' hypothesis. He thought that the instinctive and passionate character of human reproduction would constantly outstrip the expansion of resources. Malthus' hypothesis cast doubt on the optimistic outlook that predominated at the time and raised questions about whether population expansion could be sustained in light of the available resources.

• The ideas of Malthus had a significant impact on discussions about social and economic policy. It generated talks about the need to limit population increase, which brought up issues like contraception and family planning. Additionally, Malthus' theories had an impact on the establishment of early economic theory and classical economics.

• In conclusion, the Industrial Revolution's profound transformation of society and the economy is the historical setting for the Malthusian idea. The population increase hypothesis proposed by Thomas Malthus and its consequences for resource scarcity and human well-being sparked arguments that still reverberate today in concerns of population, resources, and sustainable development.

‌Written by W. Dilini Peiris and Raini Charuka

Reference

• MacRae, D. G. (2018). Thomas Malthus | Biography, Theory, Books, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Malthus

• Montano, B. and García-López, M. (2020). Malthusianism of the 21st century. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 6, p.100032. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2020.100032  

• Bretschger, L. (2020). Malthus in the light of climate change. European Economic Review, 127, p.103477. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2020.103477. 

 

 

Article 03

The Malthusian Paradox : 

Malthusian Population

"The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man." 

Malthusian population theory, by Thomas Malthus, suggests that the human population grows exponentially while resources grow linearly. This leads to potential scarcity and crises, like famine. Malthus introduced the Malthusian Trap in his 1798 essay, highlighting the gap between population and resource growth, causing hardship. This theory emerged in an agrarian society with limited technology and concerns about unchecked population growth.

The core concepts of Malthusian theory

1.  Exponential population growth.
2.  Linear resource growth  
3.  Positive and preventive checks on population growth

 

Exponential Population Growth

Exponential population growth is characterized by a continuous and accelerating increase in population size, driven by each generation reproducing more than the previous one. This growth pattern, often depicted as a J-curve on a graph, starts slowly but rapidly ascends as generations multiply, assuming abundant resources and no constraints.

Linear Resource Growth

Malthus contrasted exponential population growth with linear resource growth. He argued that while populations grow rapidly, resources like agricultural output increase steadily each year at a fixed rate. This difference leads to a widening gap between resource availability and population demands, raising concerns about potential resource shortages and their consequences as populations continue to grow exponentially.

Positive and Preventive Checks on Population Growth

Malthusian theory posits that both positive and preventive checks play a role in regulating population growth. In times of resource scarcity or overpopulation, positive checks historically operated to curb population growth by increasing mortality rates. Preventive checks, on the other hand, became more prevalent as societies developed and individuals began to make conscious decisions about family size.

 

It's important to note that while Malthusian theory highlighted these checks as potential mechanisms, modern societies have seen significant changes in population dynamics due to advances in healthcare, technology, and social structures, which have reduced reliance on positive checks and increased the effectiveness of preventive checks in controlling population growth.

Modern Relevance 

The relevance of the Malthusian trap, which warns of the potential consequences of exponential population growth surpassing resource availability, extends to various aspects of modern society and global challenges,   

Written By :  R.Yalini & L.Pirunthapana

References

• byjus.com. (2020, May 18). Retrieved from https://byjus.com/biology/malthusian-theory-of-population/#:~:text=The%20Malthusian%20theory%20explained%20that,slower%20rate%20than%20the%20population

• core-econ.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjP_KPg7YqBAxXdzDgGHdoWA8YQFnoECB8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.core-econ.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fasgarosforum%2F27%2FMALTHUS-Reading.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3_Dj7ZS1-t-9SGOXWumfcl&opi=899784

• thwink.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from Malthusian Trap: https://www.thwink.org/sustain/glossary/MalthusianTrap.htm

• Patil Amruta, Apr 1, 2023, Malthusian Theory - Theories of Population Growth - Geography Notes,  Prepp by Collegedunia https://prepp.in/news/e-492-malthusian-theory-theories-of-population-growth-geography-notes