Does Malthus's principle of population still have a practical purpose nowadays?

José Carlos Ramírez Sánchez ()
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José Carlos Ramírez Sánchez: Division of Economics, CIDE

No DTE 532, Working Papers from CIDE, División de Economía

Abstract: By introducing a delay differential equation into a population model this paper attempts to show that an update on Malthus's principle of population requires using new mathematical analyses involving oscillations around a stable attractor. Acceptance of the fact that Malthusian dynamic equilibria are smooth and unique is a valid simplification for setting broad theoretical relationships between the population and means of subsistence, but it is not enough for understanding the potential relevance of the principle in dealing with current demographic problems. Results based on Mexico's demographic experience show that new dynamic approaches on the principle can be useful to describe recent aspects of the population's behavior in developing countries.

Keywords: Malthus; practical purpose; population model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B12 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2012-08
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