Today I would like to discuss the social costs and benefits
of having a large population and the government’s decision about whether or not
to encourage having more children. I want to start with the social costs of
having a large population. The social cost of having a large population is mainly
about the constraint to resources. The basic belief about resources is the
total amount of resources is fixed; when there is a larger population, the
resources that each individual gains are lower. When each individual gains
fewer resources, the probability of widening the wealth gap is larger. In
addition, when a country has a larger population, it is more difficult for the
central government to impose social fairness as the required amount of
resources is much larger. However, an increase in the population size does not
mean a decrease in the average resources each individual gains. This is because
due to the development of technology, it is possible for us to gain more access
to more resources.
Yesterday I already talked about the social benefit of
having a large population that a large population might be necessary for the
future continuous economic and technological development. Having a larger
population means individuals can have more cooperation and interaction between each
other, this can inspire more innovations and new ideas. In addition, a larger population
ensures the probability of further specialisation.
Therefore, the major social costs of having a larger
population are an increase in the probability of widening wealth; however,
having a larger population has very significant social benefits as well. In
order to choose the policy direction, the most important measure is the wealth
gap within the society, as a wide wealth gap may imply it is not the right time
to encourage having a larger population; and vice versa.
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