The Post-Malthusian Moment: Some Responses to Population Explosion in Britain c. 1840

Patrice Bouche ()
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Patrice Bouche: University of Lille

Rivista di Politica Economica, 2011, issue 2, 167-184

Abstract: We deal with the "Post-Malthusian" stage of falling mortality and sustained fertility, from a history of ideas perspective. We argue that minor writings provide an insight into the various shades of contemporary responses to population explosion that paved the way for a subtler understanding of demographic trends. Population literature was not all either pro- or anti-Malthusian: one publication by physician Charles Loudon exemplifies a non-Malthusian panacea meant to contain population growth. While the British government's response boiled down to pauper management, Loudon and others suggested that fostering the well-being of the masses might help control population growth.

Keywords: history of ideas; Britain; 19th century; population literature; population explosion; child mortality; natural contraception; poor law reform; labour supply/labour glut; home colonisation; age of marriage; sexual morality; providentialism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rpo:ripoec:y:2011:i:2:p:167-184

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