Economic, Social and Demographic Thought in the XIXth Century: The Population Debate from Malthus to Marx / Edition 1

by Yves Charbit

Overview

According to current understanding, Malthus was hostile to an excess of population because it caused social sufferings, while Marx was favourable to demographic growth in so far as a large proletariat was a factor aggravating the contradictions of capitalism. This is unfortunately an oversimplification. Both raised the same crucial question: when considered as an economic variable, how does population fit into the analysis of economic growth? Even though they started from the same analytical standpoint, Marx established a very different diagnosis from that of Malthus and built a social doctrine no less divergent. The book also discusses the theoretical and doctrinal contribution of the liberal economists, writing at the onset of the industrial revolution in France (1840-1870), and those of their contemporary, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who shared with Marx the denunciation of the capitalist system. By paying careful attention to the social, economic, and political context, this book goes beyond the shortcomings of the classification between pro- and anti-populationism. It sheds new light over nineteenth century controversies over population in France, a case study for Europe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402099595
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	04/14/2009
Edition description:	2009
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.02(d)

Table of Contents

The Population Controversy and Beyond.- Population, Economic Growth and Religion: Malthus as a Populationist.- From Malthusianism to Populationism: The French Liberal Economists (1840–1870).- The Malthusian Trap: The Failure of Proudhon.- Capitalism and Population: Marx and Engels Against Malthus.- Beneath Demographic Issues.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

“In this volume, Yves Charbit describes how population thinking moved from a stage where it was primarily considered a theme of political philosophy towards a subject of social science, and a subject of economics in particular, making it ready to emerge as an independent scientific discipline towards the end of the nineteenth century. … I would certainly recommend this book … .” (Jan Van Bavel, Population Studies, Vol. 66 (3), November, 2012)

From the Publisher