Abstract
Population growth without a parallel increase in capital impoverishes any society and tends to deepen inequality. The system is dynamic because people who perceive or foresee contracting economic opportunity usually restrict family size. Worsening poverty feeds back into the loop to slow, then stop further population growth.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Abernethy, V. D. (1993 [1999]). Population Politics: The Choices that Shape Our Future. NY: Plenum Press [Paperback edition: Population Politics. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers].
Abernethy, V. D. (1993). The demographic transition revisited: Lessons for foreign aid and U.S. immigration policy. Ecological Economics 8, 235–252.
Abernethy, V. D. (1994). Asclepian Perspective on Immigration: First Do No Harm, National Geographic Research and Exploration 10 (4), 379–383.
Abernethy, V. D. (1994). Optimism and Overpopulation, The Atlantic Monthly, December, pp. 84-91.
Abernethy, V. D. (1996). Population theory and future population size. In B. Nath (Ed.), Environmental Pollution-ICEP3. London: European Centre for Pollution Research.
Abernethy, V. D. (1998). Why Asian Population Growth is Winding Down. Chronicles October, pp. 46-47.
Abernethy, V. D. (1999). A Darwinian Account of the Fertility Opportunity Hypothesis. Population and Environment 21(2), 119–148.
Abernethy, V. D. (2001). Population and Environment. Chronicles, November.
Abernethy, V. D. & Penaloza, R. V. (2002). Fertility Decline in Former Asian Tigers, Population and Environment 23(3).
Backlash: The view from Wall Street. (1996). Harper's Magazine, January, p. 16.
Barlett, B. (1999). Read With Care: Census Bureau Data on Poverty. Human Events, October 22, 15.
Barlett, D. L. and Steele, J. B. (1996). The Downsizing of the Dream. The Atlanta Journal, Sept. 29, p. C4.
Bartlett, A. A. (1999). Population Growth: Obstacle to Meeting Kyoto Target. Population and Environment 20 (4), 387–388.
Bartlett A. A. (1996). The Exponential Function, XI: The New Flat Earth Society. The Physics Teacher 34, September, pp. 1–2.
Bartlett, A. A. (1994). Reflections on Sustainability, Population Growth, and the Environment. Population and Environment 16 (1), 5–36.
Borjas, G. (1996). The Price of Immigration: The New Economics. The Atlantic Monthly, November, pp. 72-80.
Borjas, G. (1997). How Not To Save American Jobs. National Review, December 22, p. 20.
Borjas, G., Freeman, R., and Katz, L. (1996). Searching for the labor market effects of immigration. American Economic Review (May) 246-251.
Briggs, V. M., Jr. (2001). American Unionism and U.S. Immigration Policy. Center for Immigration Studies, September 31.
Briggs, V. M., Jr. (March 13, 1990). Testimony before the U.S. House of Representative Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law. Congressional Record.
Briggs, V. M., Jr. (1995). Mass Migration Worsens Plight of Urban Underclass. Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, Fall, pp. 45-50.
Briggs, V. M., Jr. (1992). Mass Migration and the National Interest, Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, Inc.
Campbell, C. J. (December, 2000). Peak Oil. Presentation at the Technical University of Clausthal.
Campbell, C. J. (1998). The Future of Oil and Hydrocarbon Man. Houston and London: Petroconsultants, sales@petroconsultants.com
Campbell, C. J. (July 7, 1999). The Imminent Peak of World Oil Production. Speech to the House of Commons, All-Party Committee, London, England.
Carrying Capacity Network. (December, 1998). Beyond Sprawl: The Cost of Population Growth to Local Communities. Washington, DC: Author.
Carrying Capacity Network. Has the United States Already Exceeded its Optimum Population Size? Clearinghouse Bulletin 1(5), 1-2, 7. Washington, DC: Author, 1991.
Carrying Capacity Network (February, 1993). Labor Shortage? Clearing House Bulletin 3. Washington D.C: Author.
Carrying Capacity Network. (November, 1994). Sharp Increase in Science and Engineering Immigrants Results in Unemployed American Ph.D.s. Clearing House Bulletin, p. 3. Washington, DC: Author.
Carrying Capacity Network (October, 1997). Despite Welfare Cuts, Immigration's Costs Keep on Rising, New Study Reports. Washington DC: Author.
Carrying Capacity Network (April 1997). Per capita costs of population growth to local communities. Washington, DC: Author.
Center for Immigration Studies (July 12, 2001). Immigration from Mexico: Costs and Benefits for the United States. Washington DC: Author.
Center for Immigration Studies (January, 2001). Immigration's Estimated Impact on Population Growth, 1990-2000. Washington, DC: Author.
Christoph, C., Lechner, M., and Werner, W. (June, 1996). East German Fertility After Unification: Crisis or Adaptation? Population and Development Review 22(2) 331–358.
Coping with Today's Ph.D. Glut and Funding Cuts (Nov. 4, 1994). Science 266, 849.
Courbage, Y. (1995). Fertility Transition in the Mashriq and Maghrib. In C. M. Obermeyer, (Ed.). Family, Gender, and Population in the Middle East. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.
Cox, W. M. (1999). Pink Slips in Good Times? Investor's Business Daily, Nov. 22, p. A30.
Crystal, G. S. (1991). In Search of Excess: The Overcompensation of American Executives. New York: W.W. Norton and Co.
Daly, H. (1990). Toward some operational principles of sustainable development. Ecological Economics, 2, 1–6.
Daly, H. (1991). Population and Economics: A Bioeconomic Analysis. Population and Environment 12(3), 257–258.
"Does America Still Work?" (May, 1996). Harper's Magazine, pp. 35-47.
"Does Inequality Matter? ( 2001). The Economist, June 16, p. 9.
Eberstadt, N. (March, 1994). Demographic shocks after Communism: Eastern Germany 1989-93. Population and Development Review 20 (1), 137–152.
Engler, J. (August, 1996). The Michigan Miracle: A Model for the 21st Century. Imprimis, 25(8).
Estrada, R. (1991). The Impact of Immigration on Hispanic Americans." Chronicles, July, pp. 24-28.
Estrada, R. (1990). Less Immigration Helps Hispanics. The Miami Herald, July 24, p.13A.
Farley, R. (Ed.). (1995). The State of the Union in the 1990's Social Trends. New York: Russell Sage.
Ferguson, A. (July, 2001). The US Population Explosion. Manchester (UK): The Optimum Population Trust.
Ferguson, A. (July 29, 2000). The Fundamentals of Ecological Footprints. Manchester (UK): Optimum Population Trust.
Fodor, E. V. (1997). The real cost of growth in Oregon. Population and Environment 18 (4), 373–388.
Freeman, R. B. (1998). Unequal Incomes. Harvard Magazine January-February, pp. 62-64.
Frey, W. (1995). Immigration and Internal Migration "Flight": A California Case Study. Population and Environment 16 (4), 353–375.
Frey, W. H. (1997). Immigration, Welfare Magnets and the Geography of Child Poverty in the United States. Population and Environment 19(1), 53–86.
Frey, W. H. (1994). White and Black "Flight" from High-Immigration Metro Areas: Evidence from the 1990 Census. #94-319, Population Studies Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Goldberg, C. (April 8, 2001). Working Hard, Doing Well, Less Than Excited About Bush's Tax Plan. New York Times, p. 12.
Govindasamy, P. & DaVanzo, J. (1992). Policy Impact on Fertility Differentials in Peninsular Malaysia. Population and Development Review, 18 (2), 243–267.
Halweil, B., & Brown, Lester B. (September 2, 1999). Unemployment Climbing as World Approaches 6 Billion. Worldwatch News Release.
Haub, C. (1994). Population change in the former Soviet Republics. Population Bulletin, 49(4), Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau.
Herszenhorn, D. M. (August 19, 2001). Rich States, Poor Cities. New York Times, p. 53.
Huddle, D. L. (1998). Post-1969 Immigration and the Example of the Insolvency of the Social Security System. Population and Environment 19(6), 533–540.
Huddle, D. (1997). Immigration's Costs Keep Rising. Washington, DC: Carrying Capacity Network.
Huddle, D. L. (1997) The Net Fiscal Costs of Immigration in 1996. Washington, DC: Carrying Capacity Network.
Huddle, D. L. ( 1994). The Net National Costs of Immigration in 1993. Washington, DC: Carrying Capacity Network.
Huddle, D. L. (1993). Dirty Work: Are Immigrants Taking Jobs That the Native Underclass Do Not Want? Population and Environment 14(6), 515–538.
Huddle, D. L. & Simcox, D. (1994). The Impact of Immigration on the Social Security System. Population and Environment 16(1), 91–98.
"Immigration Widens Gap Between Rich and Poor." (May 2, 2001) Sacramento Bee.
"Inequality: How the Gap Between Rich and Poor Hurts the Economy." (Aug. 15, 1994). Business Week, pp. 78-83.
Investor's Business Daily (August 7, 2001). More than 13.3 Million Immigrants.
Jehl, D. (July 22, 2001). Supplies Lag Despite New Natural Gas Wells. New York Times, pp. 1, 19.
Johnson, J. H., Jr., & Oliver, J. H. (1990-1992). Economic Restructuring and the Socioeconomic Well-Being of African Americans. UCLA-CAAS Report, pp. 12-17.
Jones, J. M. (July 30, 2001). Public Opposes Increasing Immigration Levels. The Polling Report, p. 8.
Katz, L. F. (Aug. 31, 1995). Grim figures on wages do not lie. Wall Street Journal, p. A9.
Keyfitz, N. (1990). Alfred Sauvy: In Memoria. Population and Development Review 16(4), 727–733.
Krikorian, M. (July 22, 2001). An Analyst's View: It's a Mistake to Depend on Foreign Farm Labor. The Idaho Statesman.
Latino National Political Survey (Dec.15, 1992). New York: Ford Foundation Program for Governance and Public Policy.
Lee, R. D. (1980). A Historical Perspective on Economic Aspects of the Population Explosion: The Case of Pre-Industrial England. In R. E. Easterlin (Ed.), Population and Economic Change in Developing Countries. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Leibowitz, A. & Klerman, J.A. (Aug. 1995). Explaining changes in married mothers' employment over time. Demography 32 (3), 365–378.
Lind, M. (Sept. 7, 1995). Liberals Duck Immigration Debate. New York Times, OP-Ed section.
Lind, M. (1995). America by Invitation. The New Yorker April 24, pp. 107-11.
Lind, Michael (1995).To Have and to Have Not. Harpers Magazine, June, pp. 35-47.
Little, J. S. and Triest, R. K. (June 11, 2001). The Impact of Demographic Change on U.S. Labor Markets. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Macunovich, D. J. (1996). A Review of Recent Developments in the Economics of Fertility. In P. Menchik (Ed.), Household and Family Economics. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Martin, D. (2001). Sripati Chandrasekhar, Indian Demographer, Dies at 83. NY Times, June 23, Obituaries.
Math Ph.D.'s: A Bleak Picture (1991). Science, 252, 502.
Matloff, N. (1998). Visa Program for High-Tech Workers. Wall Street Journal, June 5, Letters.
McCarthy, K. F. & Vernez, G. (1997). Immigration in a Changing Economy. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.
Miles, J. (October,1992). Blacks vs. Browns. The Atlantic Monthly 270 (4), 41–68.
Morris, F. L., Jr. (April 5, 1995). Illegal Immigration and African American Opportunities. Testimony Before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Sub-Committee on Immigration and Claims, Congressional Record.
Morris, F. L. (March 13, 1990). Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Sub-committee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law. Congressional Record.
National Research Council (1997). The New Americans. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
New York's Economy: Miracle Needed (December 20, 1997). The London Economist, p. 28.
Perez-Pena, R. (December 17, 1997). New York's Income Gap Largest in Nation. New York Times, national page.
Philbin, J. B. (January 31, 2001). What Boom Times? Record Number of Mothers Working Disproves Rosy Talk. Investor's Business Daily, p. A24.
Phillips, M. M. (December 17, 1997). Income Gap Between Rich and Poor Grows Nationally. Wall Street Journal, p. B2.
Pimentel, D., Giampietro, M., Bukkens, S.G.F. (1998). An Optimum Population for North and South America. Population and Environment 20(2), 125–148.
Pimentel, D. & Pimentel, M. (1997). Land, Energy, and Water. Revised edition. Boulder: University of Colorado.
Rattner, S. (1995). GOP ignores income inequality. Wall Street Journal, May 23, p. A22.
Rees, W.E. & Wackernagel, M. (1994). Ecological Footprints and Appropriated Carrying Capacity: Measuring the Natural Capital Requirements of the Human Economy. In A. M. Jansson, M. Hammer, C. Folke, and R. Costanza (Eds.), Investing in Natural Capital: The Ecological economics approach to sustainability. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Rodriguez, C. (February 6, 2001). Impact of the Undocumented: Study Cites Boom in Job Rolls. Boston Globe.
Schor, J. B. (1998). The Overspent American. Dunmore, PA. Basic Books: Harper Collins.
Schor, J. B. (1991). The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure. Dunmore, PA: Basic Books, Harper Collins.
Schwarz, M. (1995). The Diversity Myth: America's Leading Export. The Atlantic Monthly, pp. 57-67.
Scott, J. (August 31, 2001). Boom of 1990's Missed Many in Middle Class, Data Suggest. New York Times pp. 1, 21.
Sowell, T. (February 25, 2000). 'Income Disparity' Alarmists Should Look at Real People. Human Events, p. 10.
Stein, R. (September 11, 1995). Should We Still Welcome the Huddled Masses. Investors Business Daily, p. B1.
Stein, H. (March 14, 1996). Good Times, Bad Vibes. Wall Street Journal, Editorial page.
Takahashi, D. Ethnic Networks Help Immigrants Rise in Silicon Valley. The Wall Street Journal, p. B1, March 18, 1998.
Teitelbaum, M. (March 19, 199l). Too Many Engineers, Too Few Jobs. NY Times, Op-Ed page.
Teixeira, R. & Rogers, J. (2000). America's Forgotten Majority: Why the White Working Class Still Matters. New York: Basic Books.
Uchitelle, L. (August 5, 2001). Pink Slip? Now It's All in a Day's Work. New York Times, p. 1 Section 3.
U.S. Bureau of the Census (1995). U.S. Population Projections. Washington, DC: Gov't Printing Office.
U.S. Bureau of the Census (February, 1996). Preferred Projection of U.S. Population, P25-1130.
Youngquist, W. (1997). GeoDestinies. Portland, OR: National Book Company.
Wackernagel, M. (2001). Our Ecological Footprint. Population Press, Summer, p. 3.
Where Have the Good Jobs Gone (July 31, 1995). U.S. News and World Report, Feature.
Wilson, W. J. (1999). Welfare Reform: Could It Survive and Economic Downturn? Harvard Magazine, (November/December), 48.
Zitner, A. (March 13, 1998). GAO: Studies Citing Lack of Technology Workers 'Flawed.' Montpelier, VT Times Argus, Editorial.
Zuckerman, G. (July 5, 2000). Borrowing Levels Reach a Record, Sparking Debate. Wall Street Journal, p. C1.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abernethy, V.D. Population Dynamics: Poverty, Inequality, and Self-Regulating Fertility Rates. Population and Environment 24, 69–96 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020181810894
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020181810894