The United Nations has stated that the 1990s are the last possible decade for regulating fertility rates so that populations do not grow beyond the earth's capacity to sustain human life. Demographic experts are confounded by the persistence of high fertility in light of a number of circumstances that were expected to cause a decline, such as international dissemination of technical assistance and capital; improved health care conditions to lower the risk of infant mortality; increased opportunities to develop literacy in men and women; the democratization of governments; and several decades of liberal immigration and refugee policies favoring third-world nations. Population Politics brilliantly dissects the paradigm responsible for the counterproductive efforts of nations and international agencies. Virginia D. Abernethy, Ph.D., a renowned anthropologist, shows why support offered in the name of a "demographic transition" has been misdirected; why policies which do not encourage caution and restraint hamper the shift to lower fertility. Ireland, Indonesia, Cuba, China, Turkey, and Egypt are a few of the countries to which Dr. Abernethy looks, showing how economic, sociocultural, and agricultural factors have been both a cause of population growth and a way-of attempting to stabilize population size. The author stresses that motivation is the key to birth control and, using historical and cross-cultural data, hypothesizes that perception of limited resources is the chief stimulus. Renewed interest in limiting family size is seen in third-world countries, such as Sudan and Burma, where traditional patterns of delaying first births and increasing the interval between having one child and the next are reviving. Dr Abernethy proceeds with a fascinating critical perspective on population growth in the United States, relating it to twentieth-century industrialization, urbanization, fluctuations in the economy, and an "open door" immigration policy. All sectors of soc
Empiric Data Inconsistant with Demographic Transition Model
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
The essential point of this work is the Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is false and worse is contributing to above reasonable fertility rates in many countries and an over all rate of positive population growth world wide. The author does an excellent job of putting forward both the strong case for the DTM (education and affluence => zero growth) and the weak case for the DTM (education and affluence => some reduction in growth). She then shows that niether contingency is supported by various important sources of empirical data. Even worse, policies based on the DTM may even increase fertility. The arguments put forward are coherent,cogent, and reasonably sound. If the DTM is false then this has very far ranging implications for all sorts of ecconomic and aid policies . But more importantly,if the DTM is false there are extremely dire consequences for the health of humanity and the environment. This will mean that the much vuanted "logistic curve" of the DTM will not come to pass and population may easily over shoot ten billion (e.g. will not level off via birth prevention). The issues and arguments put forward in this work are really the essential bench mark for future discussion.
Family subsidies only cause more poverty
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
This book supports the arguments economic conservatives have intuitively had against altruistic national and international welfare schemes - they only encourage more irresponsibility, even larger families in already impoverished lands, and only encourage immigration to welfare states such as the United States and Western Europe -- spreading the misery of low wages due to oversupply of farm and blue collar labor and increasingly white collar and even high technology degreed job categories. This is in addition to the fundamentally immoral and monstrous nature of such redistributionist schemes.
Most important book written in my life-time.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 27 years ago
Quoting from Abernethy's book: "Americans are too careless in protecting their own heritage and too ready to impose western culture on others." "Organization is one of the linchpins of prosperity, and it depends on stability and security. But maintenance of order within a democratic framework ultimately depends on the consent and consensus of the governed. Without a core of common values, order depends upon coercion and the criminal justice system. Public safety in today's American cities comes at the cost of erosion in treasured liberties such as freedom from unreasonable search and seizure -- the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. And the shift toward state coerciveness will probably be irreversible so long as the numbers outside the law, or in disagreement with fundamental values, keep growing."
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.