Population Studies

X74/3583/2009

HAZLET M. GATHIGIA

DEVELOPMENT PLANNING: XEA 302.

An Assignment on Various Population Matters.

Population Definition.

Population is a term which refers to the total human inhabitants of a specified area such as; a continent, a country, or a city, at a given time. It can be defined further in a number of ways depending on the various aspects of population that one would be looking at. It can refer to the various aspects of population such as age, ethnicity, race, or region. For example, population size may refer to either the total number of people living in a certain region, or the number of people living in a certain area who share certain characteristics. Population structure describes the division or stratification of a population size into groups of certain characteristics e.g. the youth, the aged, and the children. Population distribution defines the geographical spread of the population size in a given area. The study of such population matters and the characteristics of the population is known as Demographics.

The Importance of Population Data in Planning.
Demographics and population information is of great importance when it comes to planning: mainly because correct population information ensures that there can be proper utilisation of a nation’s resources. Development and resource planning is geared towards the ultimate benefit of the citizens of a country. Thus, correct information about the number of citizens, their income levels, and their distribution in society will work towards better and more reliable planning and implementation of policies. The proper collection, manipulation, and eventual use of national income, expenditure, and output figures heavily relies on accurate population information.

Population data is especially important in urban planning, and specifically in the provision of public goods and services. The building of schools, hospitals, and roads in urban areas such as cities and towns will rely heavily on the available population information. A Muslim school built using public funds would be better off built in a neighbourhood with a predominantly Muslim population, than one with a predominantly Christian or Hindu population. Government-offered free HIV testing and counselling would be a better utilisation of resources if these services are offered in city slums than if they are offered in the upper-class estates of the city. Funds to build super-highways are better spent on a case-by-case study of the city traffic and routes, than have the funds equally distributed among the various city routes. All this information can be obtained through a thorough study of the city’s population distribution and structure.

The relationship between population, natural resources, and infrastructural development.
This relationship can be viewed in three different ways. A growth in population leading to a rise in population density has three implications regarding natural resources. The population growth will harm the natural resources, benefit the natural resources, or have no significant effect on the natural resources. These three effects make up the different theories regarding the relationship between the population and natural resources.

The pessimistic theory, the theory that states that the relationship is negative, puts forward that the higher population density resulting from a population growth will lead to the finite natural resources being over-used, overcrowded, and in time depleted. Even if the resources will not be depleted immediately, it will get to a point where the resources will become limited, such that only a few members of society will have any beneficial access to them.

The optimistic theory, the one that suggests a positive relationship, implies that as the population density rises there is a higher level of intellectual human interactions. This, coupled with a necessity for alternatives to the existing finite resources, leads to innovation and adaptation. Innovation and adaptation then lead to a creation of wealth in society and a significant rise in resource use, and infrastructural development.

The neutralist theory suggests that the rise in population density will not have any significant effect on the natural resources and infrastructural development. It implies that natural resources and infrastructural development depend on a multitude of factors among them population growth and density. The influence of population, by itself, on natural resources is not nearly as extensive as expected. Natural resources and infrastructural development depend on a combination of factors, not just any one factor on its own. Also, the resources, though finite, are not as minimal to the degree of quick depletion as it is often suggested.

Population structure.
Population structure is a description of the relative number of people with similar characteristics within a certain population. It comprises the age and gender divisions of a population. It is usually represented in the form of a population pyramid.

In terms of age, population structure refers to the children (age 14 years and below), the working age (aged 15 – 64 years), and the elderly (age 65 years and above). These divisions are necessary in demographics and planning as they indicate certain important concepts such as the dependency ratio.

The dependency ratio is the ratio of the population size in the non-working age (which consists of the children and the elderly) and the population size in the working age. The higher it is the slower the economic growth rate. It shows that countries with higher dependency ratios have developed slower than those with low dependency ratios. A higher dependency ratio means that the number of labour force’s dependents is higher than the labour force itself. It means that per capita income in a nation will be much lower than it ought to be. This slows down economic growth and development.

High dependency ratios can be countered by effective population planning. This might include promotion of family planning.

role of women and the youth in the nation.
Women and the youth are quite important in a nation’s economic development. In fact, most of the social policies directed towards promoting development in local communities heavily factor in women and the youth as key players. The youth make up a large number of the energetic labour, and women are the actual managers of the households. The youth are key in spurring innovation as they are able to view the world in fresh lenses, as opposed to the older and very pragmatic generations who have become jaded as a result of hardships and failed economic development policies. Women, in managing the households play a key role in ensuring the proper distribution of the resources in the household.

Policies that are initiated for population planning need to be aimed mainly at women and the youth. Family planning advice is better rendered to women- their fertility levels are used and the youth than to any other members of society. Negative aspects of society such as illiteracy, gender inequality, and disguised unemployment affect the women and youth more than they affect other members of society. Elimination of such aspects may promote growth and development and at the same time promote the role of women and the youth in society.