(a) Give two major views of Rev. Thomas Malthus in population theory. (b) How relevant are his views to the economic realities of West African countries?

Answer Details

(a) Two major views of Rev. Thomas Malthus.

1. Different rates of growth. Malthus held that population, if unchecked, grows in a geometric progression (1, 2, 4, 8, 16...) while the means of subsistence (food) grows only in an arithmetic progression (1, 2, 3, 4, 5...). Population therefore tends to outstrip the food supply.
2. Checks on population. Because food cannot keep pace, population is brought back into line by two kinds of checks: positive checks (famine, disease, war, and other causes of high death rates) and preventive checks (moral restraint such as late marriage and celibacy that lower the birth rate).

(b) Relevance to West African economic realities.

• Points that support Malthus. Many West African countries have high birth rates and rapidly growing populations that press food supply, land, housing, and social services, so rapid population growth outrunning output is a real concern.
• Points that weaken Malthus. Malthus did not foresee modern advances that have raised food output faster than he predicted, so the theory overstates the danger: improved farming methods, high-yielding seeds, irrigation, and fertilizers have expanded food supply; family-planning and birth-control programmes now curb births without famine or war; food can be imported from surplus countries; and industrialisation and technology create output he ignored.

Balanced conclusion: Malthus's warning about population pressure on resources is partly relevant to West Africa, but his gloomy prediction is not fully realised because science, trade, and deliberate population policy have loosened the food constraint he assumed to be fixed.