The Population Bomb; F. Livingston

Reinforcing this fallacy is the myth that We Are All In This Together, that we all share each other's fate. We don't. We are separate persons~ families, clans, and groups, pursuing our various ends. We can and should cooperate, and-sometimes, not always-offer help in adversity. But we are all individually responsible for our fates, a responsibility that cannot be undone by forcing some people to pay for the heedless ness of others. 0 The PopulationBomb: Exploding the Myth by Felix Livingston D oomsday projections made two centu ries ago by Thomas Malthus were re vived by grim-faced delegates at the U.N. Population Conference in Cairo last year. The consensus of those present was that a population bomb is about to explode unless there is governmental intervention on a global scale. If nothing is done, we are warned, world population willdouble by the year 2055. Dr. Livingston is Director of Freeman Services for The Foundation for Economic Education.

The new doomsayers predict that popu lation will grow geometrically without bound and food production will be slowed because of fixed technology and dwindling resources. But statistics reveal that eco nomic status dramatically affects the deci sion to have children. As a nation's per capita income increases, its birth rate de clines. In addition, the world food supply is growing at a faster rate than population. This trend will likely continue because of technology changes in agriculture and conTHE POPULATION BOMB: EXPLODING THE MYTH 113 tinuing improvements in the ability to sup ply energy. Malthusians say that governments must control reproductive habits of the poor be cause changes in childbearing practices have resulted in rapid population growth in developing nations. Not true: the average family size in Third World countries is virtually unchanged. World population is increasing because of lower death rates due to better nutrition and disease control. An other popular but misguided argument is that high population density adversely af fects the ability of a nation to develop. But the data shows that densely populated na tions, such as Taiwan and Japan, can be very prosperous. Conversely, some sparsely pop ulated countries are among the world's poorest.

The evidence is clear. The surest way for a nation to defuse its population bomb is to create a fertile environment for economic growth. Why, then, does the official Cairo plan ignore development issues while advo cating government spending of $17 billion annually on programs such as healthcare, family planning, and gender equality? First, many bureaucrats who attended the meeting do not believe that free choices made by millions of free people can possibly have beneficial social results. Only the prescrip tions of an informed few-paid for and sometimes brutally applied by a central authority-can cope with the "population juggernaut." Second, many intellectuals who were in Cairo make a comfortable living from government subsidies that fund their policy proposals. Third, free economic de velopment poses a threat to the raw political power exercised by the world's petty ty rants. An effective way to spread the suffo cating blanket of control over a nation's citizens is to declare an emergency, which can be relieved only by enacting legislation to regiment and control people. The so called crisis ends, but the new laws and institutions remain. Government expands; freedom contracts. The only antidote to arbitrary political power is the freedom which is built into the private property order.

"We cannot pry into the hearts of men," said Dr. Johnson, "but their actions are open to observation." While moral postur ing and lofty rhetoric characterized the Cairo meeting, nothing advocated in its 113-page plan will banish the famine and material suffering that characterize the world's developing nations. The real popu lation problem affecting many Third World countries is their refusal to adopt the habits and institutions that foster private enter prise and entrepreneurship. Nations that do not enforce private property rights and that view the accomplishments of producers as antisocial suffocate the spirit of enterprise and eliminate the very conditions necessary for political liberty and economic prosper ity. When people are free to pursue their economic interests in free markets, the so called "population problem" will resolve itself. 0 Attention Teachers and Professors! Recent Issues of THEFREEMAN for Classroom Use Here's a chance to introduce students to The Freemanat little cost to you or your school. We are offering cartons of back issues of The Freeman for the modest charge of $10.00 per carton (within the United States) to help defray our shipping and handling charges. Each carton contains between 175 and 200 copies. Payment must accompany order.