Population Growth : Its Political, Economic, and Social Consequences

The world's population has rapidly grown and may continue to in the future. Globally life expectancy has increased due to biomedical science, food security, and healthcare. There remains a disparity however in regard to health conditions and total life expectancy. The Global South struggles with development. Sudden population growth has political, economic, and social repercussions. It could be possible that a population may get close to exponential population growth and experience major societal challenges. The political sector would have to adjust in a particular manner. Keeping a large population functioning would require more control and a larger bureaucracy. This means that democratic models would not be able to function based on certain ideals that it values. Order would have more importance over freedom or equality. Such conditions would make quasi-authoritarian models more attractive that a democratic alternative. Economically, there would be more unemployment and the rise of a global underclass. If there is no opportunity for social mobility, a reliance on neoliberal capitalism, and a immense disparity related to income there will be insurrection. Society will be altered from an boom in population. Demographics are pivotal particularly the age of the population. A large ageing population could create economic problems related to welfare systems. A population with more young people could be the catalyst for mass rebellion or a shift into various forms ideological extremism. The environment also will suffer from more human consumption of natural resources. This may become a source of world conflict as growing populations hunger for various commodities. Population growth may be more of a problem, rather than a strength. Having a smaller population could also pose certain challenges, but these are minor compared to the explosion of a population boom. Population growth poses various political, economic, and  social strains that have the potential to be dangerous.
        The politics of population growth can cause issues for a nation. This relates to demographics. When an age pyramid becomes unbalanced this may alter political situations drastically. A majority elderly population may favor more far-right governments, while a youthful population desires more radical changes. A generation gap will form making a political consensus more difficult. A country or society cannot function without some agreement on political matters. This becomes more complicated in a democratic system. Voting can be effected by population size. Certain groups may just be able to get more representation simply based on population size. Majoritarian democracy may not be able to handle the erratic political shifts high population growth. Rapid population growth also induces a level of fear. This happens in racially and culturally diverse societies in which the ruling class and ethnic group fear  the shift in power. Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand are experiencing a wave of  xenophobic white nationalism in reaction to the increase of refugees and immigration. These sentiments are becoming more popular in the face of population and demographic shift. The EU countries attempt to present an image of tolerant and welcoming nations, but their policies demonstrate that the East and West conflict still continues. The majority of the population reduction programs are directed at global south nations, yet if population growth were to occur in Europe such programs would not exist.

The West has an overwhelming fear that it will be outnumbered by the growing numbers of African, Asian, and Latin American populations.This also explains why the West seems more willing to inflict violence on global south nations. There is power in numbers to a degree and the reduction of population by either military force or disease would benefit a project of global hegemony. China and India may in the future find themselves targets of a new wave of  European imperialism. Normally, sinophobia is justified by racists on the basis China's population is too large. Population growth becomes a factor in global affairs when examined from this perspective. A large population can be used as a symbol of national power. For every child born, they could be potential soldiers if a system of conscription is in place. Democratic systems would not be able to cope with rapid population increase. The basis of such a system relies on debates, elections, and consensus. There is an emphasis on the individual rather than the collective society. A large population requires more organization and governance. The more complex a society becomes freedom will take low priority in favor of structured order. To keep a functional society with a large population bureaucracy almost becomes a necessity. The needs of the citizens maybe to difficult for them to acquire on their own. If a democratic system does not meet the needs of citizens increased political factionalism and low political participation will be the result. A democratic government becomes ineffective. Authoritarianism which comparatively would have greater human rights abuse, is more efficient. Decisions are made by one person or group allowing for polices and projects to advance at a faster rate.  Authoritarianism may become politically popular because it provides stability and order. Societies out of fear of possible chaos will be more willing to accept extremist ideologies if they can in a rapid manner produce solutions to problems surrounding growing populations and discord. A large population provides a justification for oppression and control of citizens. 

         Economic systems would be effected by population growth. The concern centers around employment and consumption. One hundred percent unemployment is not possible. There are numerous circumstances for why certain people do not work. Illness or disability may take people out the workforce. Others who have struggled finding work may simply give up. Employers may not be hiring as much when there is a recession. The official reports on job growth are not a complete account of  the levels of employment  or unemployment. The data only accounts for those still active in the workforce. The complications amount when there is a large population and limited jobs. Companies cannot hire every single person. A high population may see a number of unemployed people no matter what their skills or education levels are. Conditions would effect the poorest and least educated among society even worse . 

The term underemployment has been used to describe a phenomenon in which people are working multiple jobs to sustain an income. Many corporations and companies are now adopting a model of using part-time , contractor, or free lance labor rather than hiring full time employees. Neoliberal capitalism cannot accommodate large populations. There is the advantage in having a mass of consumers, but they need to have incomes high enough. Disposable income allows for growth in an economic system. Businesses could fail in multiple sectors if there are not enough consumers to purchase products. Easy acquisition of credit can alleviate some of the challenge of having limited income. The problem arises with the accumulation of debt. Debt may be unavoidable with the high price of college education, home ownership, or the purchase of automobiles. What a large population does is allows for the creation of a permanent unemployed underclass. Under a supply side economic system the working poor and the middle class would have  to pay more taxes and be more productive without seeing significant increases in wages. The upper class gentry would have to pay more taxes to sustain both the state and population. A major revision of the tax code would have to be implemented for the sake of preventing possible economic turmoil. Another factor has to do with technology and the loss of jobs from a changing workplace. Automation could soon make human labor obsolete. If it is realized that there are not enough jobs for a enormous population, this would further add to discord in society. Then the age of the workforce becomes a problem. Older workers will suffer under a mass influx of younger workers when jobs are limited. Experience and qualification become irrelevant to employers when they have to consider benefits or pensions for employees. The goal of any business or company under a capitalist system is to have profit maximization to the highest apex. Hiring older workers would just be more of a burden. This would create more tension among the youth and older generation in the workforce. A job market that is so competitive also may form more ethnic and sex hostilities. This makes the prospect of an economic depression more terrifying. If banks were to fail, while a stock market crash occurs this would induce mass unemployment and poverty. If the population cannot have the ability to advance themselves economically, this could be a catalyst for rebellion. Maintaining a stable economy becomes more of a challenge with an enormous population. 

            The social consequences are more extensive  with large populations growth. Women are particularly impacted with dramatic population growth. The size of the population indicates in an indirect manner the status of women's reproductive rights. Limited access to contraception or abortion contributes to rapid growth. Women are placed in this system of mass growth in a secondary status. Countries that value women's traditional gender roles as wife and mother restrict their freedom. The sex balance becomes distorted, because many female babies are victims of infanticide. This has been the case in India and China which are two of the world's counties with the largest populations. Although there has been progress to address the gender inequality in these societies, there are still a number people who do not value women or their rights. 

While population growth can reveal much about the condition of women, there also needs to be a solicitous approach to children. Education and the availability of it is essential to maintaining a functional country. Countries must make public education free to all children of the world to ensure a skilled and competent workforce. Many nations of the global south do not have the funds to make public education free for all children. Even wealthy nations do not adequately invest in students. The United States mostly funds public education through property taxes. This creates an unequal system of education. If US education was federally funded, this may reverse some inequalities in education. Children's quality of life could be effected negatively in societies with large populations. Teachers may not be able to cope teaching in large classes. Children's quality of education may suffer under such conditions. The youth must be prepared to run the society of the future. Besides the condition of women and children, the matter of feeding the populace becomes another concern. Growing populations demand a high level of food. The Green Revolution was suppose to solve problems of human starvation. Yet, there are still countries that struggle with feeding their populations. This is not entirely related to the number of people. Some nations are deliberately starved. Iraq was subjected to the oil for food program, when previously it was able to produce its own sustenance. Nations may be more reliant on importation of cereals or wheat and if  they are under sanctions or in confrontation with particular nations this could effect their food supply. Climate change can also effect subsistence agriculture. Desertification and change in erosion patterns can devastate farmers. Arable land could become a rare occurrence if climate change goes unchecked. This also relates to the preservation of the environment. The more people the more consumption of resources. Scarce resources would be contested for more vigorously. Fossil fuels would be consumed more by large populations, which would create more conflict. Oil has already caused many conflicts across the globe with the US and China competing for the remaining reserves. Limited regulation and the constant use of fossil fuels could result in more air pollution, which will have a deleterious effect on human health. Crime could also be a consequence of larger populations. Although there are multiple factors for why crime exists, lack of resources may force people into such acts. Few jobs, limited social programs, and poverty could force people to be reliant on the black market, theft, or drug dealing. Controlling crime waves would be futile with an immense population. Prisons would not be able to manage overcrowding of their facilities. These scenarios could become reality especially in an urban environment. More people are going to be living in cities in the future and the global population will continue to grow. The social consequences of population growth could be more difficult to manage for various nations. 

          The world has reached a unique stage in history. There are more people on Earth than centuries past. This is not only from the fact more babies are being born, rather humanity has reached a point of high longevity. It is more likely depending on which country one lives to reach old age. A development like this has changed the way individuals think about life and society. Retirement, economic and personal finance have become more important. A longer life also gives way to more concerns about healthcare. Aging populations need affordable healthcare. These are new considerations related to population growth. While incredibly large populations can create problems, smaller populations also have a challenge. A country with a small population may face labor shortages and find itself unable to finance its welfare system or public institutions. Japan has to deal with under-population, which they are feeling the effects of  both economically and socially. There needs to be enough young people in the workforce to aid the social programs of a country. Family size  and birth rates would have to be large enough to accommodate the retired population. It may also require a program of immigration to meet labor demands. Unrestrained population growth creates a level of instability. Proper analysis of a problem can lead to a practical solution. A solution should not be based on Malthusian ideology. Simultaneously, it should not be targeted at particular countries. The population programs of the UN or other international bodies target African, Asian, and Latin American countries indicating a racial bias. This also extends to economics in which the West blames developing nations attempting to industrialize for the increased rate of carbon emissions. The EU countries and the United States are the biggest consumers of fossil fuels compare to the least developed nations. The culpability does not rest on the global south countries. There must be an emphasis on women's  reproductive rights and a functional system of welfare. If governments do not take a proactive approach to population growth, running  a nation-state may become insuperable.