Malthusian Subsistence Equilibrium: Mechanism and Dynamics

What they are, what they are for, and what they are about.

Theories

Malthusianism

The Malthusian Poverty Trap: Mechanism and Economic Acceptance

Malthus's Law

Role of Assumptions in the Malthusian Model

Malthusian Trap: Evidence from London Wages and British Population (1264-2001)

Consequences of a Technological Shock in a Pre-Industrial Economy

In a pre-industrial agricultural society with a fixed amount of land, the subsistence level of income is 400 units of grain per person per year. A recent period of unusually good weather has temporarily increased the average income to 500 units of grain per person. Assuming no other changes, what is the most likely long-term outcome for this society according to the principles of population dynamics at the subsistence level?

The Subsistence Level as a Stable Equilibrium

In a pre-industrial agricultural economy with a fixed amount of land, a permanent technological improvement that increases the amount of grain each farmer can produce will result in a sustained, long-term increase in the average standard of living for the population.

A small group of farmers settles a large, fertile, and previously uninhabited island. Initially, due to the abundance of land per farmer, their average income is well above the subsistence level. Arrange the following events in the logical sequence that describes how this society's economy will eventually return to a stable equilibrium.

Match each term related to the subsistence equilibrium model with the description of its role or state within that model.

Critique of a Policy for a Pre-Industrial Economy

In an economic model where living standards determine population size, the subsistence level is the income at which the population growth rate is ________.

In a pre-industrial agricultural society with a fixed amount of land, the population is stable, and average income is at the subsistence level. A new, more efficient type of plow is introduced, which permanently increases the amount of grain each farmer can produce. According to the economic model of subsistence equilibrium, what is the most likely long-run outcome?

Economic Recovery After a Population Shock

The Production Function in Malthus's Model

Malthusian Assumption: Population Grows When Living Standards Rise

Definition of Subsistence Level

Diminishing Average Product of Labour