DALY'S SYNTHESIS
Recognizing the importance of both demographic and institutional factors in the developmental planning in general, and inadequacy of either or type of question, some social scientists have attempted to develop a combination of Malthusian and Marxian views of poverty and development. Among them, Daly (1971) suggests that the theories of Malthus and Marx are complementary. Populations are marked by both differences in ownership of property and fertility. A simple definition of poverty is the per capita income, or the ratio between income and population (Y/P). The cause of poverty or low per capita income, according to Malthus is high population (P), and according to Marx, low income (Y). The two theories will be complementary if the growth of population and income are independent.
Daly argues that the two are independent only within limits. Given Y, there is maximum value of P that is possible and a minimum value of P that is technically necessary. Also, the growth of P affects Y directly through age distribution and its influence on saving, education, and size of surplus. However, the effect of Y on P is less clear than that of P on Y. Malthus says that development or increase in Y leads to growth of population (P) but the empirical correlation between income and population growth of the global level is negative. Daly maintains that the empirical does not necessarily contradict the theoretical because the relation between Y and P is medicated by a number of factors as traditions and customs, norms, ethics, material standards and law. Daly divided the population into four groups by nature of income (those earning from wages or property) and birth control (those using or not using birth control methods). He expresses that the Marxian theory of stratification is based on the experience of nineteenth century when population was growing rapidly. If the rate of population growth is less than the rate at which workers are displaced by machines, there can not be any surplus population or reserve army. Daly analyses what happens to four groups as time passes and society moves from primitive to classless societies of the future. |
