• ↑
  • GGR208

GGR208 Lecture 05

GGR208 Lecture 05 Raw
GGR208 Lecture 05 Flashcards

• Completed Notes Status

  • Completed insertions: 6
  • Ambiguities left unresolved: 1 (Goodwill Hunting reference)

• Lecture Summary

  • Central objective: Contrast historical and contemporary theories of population control (Malthus, Boserup, Marx) and analyze the socio-political implications of the Neo-Malthusian family planning debate.
  • Key concepts:
    • Malthusian Theory of Population: Geometric population growth outstrips arithmetic food supply, regulated by destructive (positive) and private (preventative) checks.
    • Boserupian Theory of Population: Population growth drives agricultural intensification and technological innovation, preventing the Malthusian trap.
    • Neo-Malthusianism: Applies Malthusian limits to environmental and government stability, advocating for Family Planning to reduce "unproductive spending" and encourage development.
  • Connections:
    • The debate shifts from pure biology (Malthus) to resource distribution (Marxian Population Theory) and finally to social policy and female empowerment (Neo-Malthusianism).

• TK Resolutions

  • #tk: flashcards on above
    • Answer: Flashcards have been generated for Malthusian checks and growth rates in the flashcards note.
  • #tk: goodwill hunting movie, jem lemmings
    • Answer: Likely refers to the "NSA speech" or a specific classroom analogy regarding intellect vs. resource constraints.
    • Needed: Specific context from the lecture recording to clarify the "lemmings" connection.

• Practice Questions

  • Remember/Understand:
    • What is the fundamental difference between the growth rates of population and food supply according to Malthus?
    • Identify the two types of checks in Malthusian theory and provide an example of each.
    • How does Boserup's theory contradict Malthus regarding food production?
  • Apply/Analyze:
    • How does the concept of "unproductive spending" in Neo-Malthusian thought justify government intervention in reproduction?
    • Analyze the criticism that Neo-Malthusian family planning "regionalizes" the population problem. What factor does this perspective often ignore?
    • Explain how Demographic Momentum causes population growth to continue even after fertility rates decline.
  • Evaluate/Create:
    • Evaluate the ethical implications of the Neo-Malthusian focus on "numbers" versus the Marxist focus on "distribution" in the context of the Irish Potato Famine.
    • Propose an argument against the imposition of family planning policies in developing nations using the concept of the Dependency Ratio.

• Challenging Concepts

  • Demographic Momentum:
    • Why it's challenging: Counter-intuitive that population grows even when fertility falls below replacement.
    • Study strategy: Visualize the "age structure" of a population pyramid; a wide base means many future parents, even if each has fewer kids.
  • Boserupian Theory of Population:
    • Why it's challenging: distinguishing "intensification" from simple "expansion."
    • Study strategy: Focus on the mechanism—scarcity drives innovation (Necessity is the mother of invention).

• Action Plan

  • Immediate review actions:
    • Review all [COMPLETED] insertions and verify with course materials
    • Address all #tk items (if any)
    • Re-read Lecture Summary and confirm key links
  • Practice and application:
    • Answer Remember/Understand questions
    • Answer Apply/Analyze questions
    • Attempt Evaluate/Create questions
  • Deep dive study:
    • Focus on Challenging Concepts (above)
    • Extend atomic notes only where the new lecture adds content
  • Verification and integration:
    • Cross-reference notes with textbook/slides
    • Identify remaining gaps
    • Link this lecture to prior/future lecture notes (lecture notes only; no MOCs)

• Footnotes