Population

Seite 1

Effects and Management of Population Growth.

SOCIAL IMPACTS:

Healthcare and education services can't cope with the rapid increase of population, so not everyone has access to them.

Children miss out on education since they have to work to support large families (stages 2 + 3).

Lack of housing, forcing people to live in overcrowded settlements like squatter settlements - leads to health problems.

Food shortages.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS:

Not enough jobs leads to an increase in unemployment.

Increased poverty since people are born into poor families due to the above issue.

POLITICAL IMPACTS:

Most of the population is young so the government focuses on policies important to young people; fewer elderly so government doesn't focus on policies for them (such as pensions) - vice versa for stages 4 + 5).

The government creates policies to bring population growth under control so the social and economic impacts don't worsen - this puts the government under pressure.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES:

Birth Control Programmes:

Aim to reduce birth rate.

Achieved by the government making laws about how many children couples are allowed to have; help couples to plan and limit the amount of children they have; free contraception; sex education.

Immigration Laws:

Governments limit the number of immigrants entering a country, and more specifically being selective about the age of people coming in - such as letting fewer people of child-bearing age in.

Seite 2

Non-Birth Control Population Policy - Case Study.

KERALA, INDIA - A NON-BIRTH CONTROL POLICY:

WHEN AND WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED:

The National Family Planning Programme began in 1952.

It was introduced because Indian families were having too many children - on average, the fertility rate was 3.1 children per family.

Due to the introduction, Kerala is the only place in India where birth rate is decreasing.

FEATURES OF THE PROGRAMME:

Improving educational standards and adult literary classes - people more likely to work than to have lots of children to work for them.

Treating boys and girls equally - parents less likely to have more children in order to get a boy.

Educating families and giving them free contraception.

Improving child health - reduces infant mortality so parents don't have more children to compensate.

Maternity leave for the first two children only.

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THE PROGRAMME:

Infant mortality is 12 per every 1000 in Kerala, compared to the rest of India which is 65 per every 1000.

Birth rate has decreased too, with the fertility rate at 1.8 children per family compared to the rest of India at 3.1 children per family.

Seite 3

Managing Ageing Populations.

Countries with an ageing population are usually richer countries in stage 5 of the DTM.

The elderly are dependent on the working population, which can have social and economic impacts affecting a country's future development:

IMPACTS OF AN AGEING POPULATION:

Economic:

Increased taxes - the working pop. pay taxes for the government to use for state pensions and services such as healthcare; the more elderly, the more taxes are needed to pay for these things.

The economy of a country grows slower - less money spent on services that help the economy grow - education and business - and more money on things that don't help the economy grow - retirement homes.

Social:

Healthcare services put under pressure since the elderly need more medical care.

Less leisure time and more stress for the working population - need to work as unpaid carers for elderly family members.

Decreased birth rate - people can't afford to have children when they have dependent older relatives.

Low pension - the more elderly, the lower the state pension; people will have to retire later because they can't live on solely the state pension.

STRATEGIES TO COPE WITH AGEING POPULATIONS:

Encouraging larger families - increases the amount of young people so they'll be a larger working population supporting the elderly; women in Italy are given £1000 for every child they have (not sustainable - increases population size).

Encouraging immigration of young people - increases the working population (not sustainable).

Raising retirement age - people pay taxes to pay for pensions and services loner, as well as limiting the time they claim the state pension for (sustainable - reduces impacts of ageing population but doesn't increase population size).

Raising taxes - increases the money available to use on the elderly dependents (sustainable).

Seite 4

Population Movements.

Immigration = people moving from one area into another area.

Emigration = when people leave an area.

Migration can happen across different countries or between different regions within countries.

PUSH AND PULL FACTORS:

Push Factors: things about a person's place of origin that make them decide to move.

Unemployment - labour migrant or skilled migrant; poor living conditions; war refugees - asylum seekers; natural disasters.

Pull Factors: things about a country that attracts people to migrate there.

Job opportunities with higher wages - economic migrants; better living standard; safety; democracy.

IMPACTS OF MIGRATION:

Positive Impacts:

Source Country: reduced demand for services; money is sent back.

Receiving Country: increased labour force; more workers paying taxes; multicultural; spending money into the economy; provides specialists.

Negative Impacts:

Source Country: labour shortage since it's mostly the working pop. leaving; skills shortage 'brain drain' - highly educated people that migrate; ageing population.

Receiving Country: tension and conflict over competition for jobs; increased demand for services - overcrowding; money sent back - economy not benefited; housing shortages.

Seite 5

Migration Within The EU.

MIGRATION FROM POLAND TO THE EU:

Push Factors From Poland:

High unemployment - roughly 19%; low average wages - 1/3 of EU average wage; housing shortages.

Pull Factors To The UK:

Ease of migration - UK allowed unlimited migration in 2004; more work and higher wages; good exchange rate.

Impacts In Poland:

Population and birth rate fell since people leaving were young; shortage of workers - slow economic growth; economy boosted by money sent home.

Impacts In The UK:

UK population increased; immigration boosted economy - but a lot of money earned was sent home; new shops opened to serve Polish communities; religious attendance at Catholic churches increased - many Poles are Catholic.

MIGRATION OF REFUGEES FROM AFRICA TO THE EU:

Huge numbers migrate from Africa to the EU, however it's often illegal - in 2001, 45000 emigrants where caught and refused entry to Spain.

Many of these migrants are refugees from wars in Africa - such as the civil war in Sierra Leone.

Impacts In African Countries:

Working population reduced - slow economic growth; families separated from fleeing wars.

Impacts In Spain:

Social and racial tension between the ethnic groups; more unskilled workers that fill labour gaps; average wages have fallen for unskilled jobs since so many want them; birth rate increased due to amount of young immigrants.