Temporary Gains from Technology in the Malthusian Model
According to the Malthusian model, any gains in living standards from technological progress are only temporary. While an innovation can initially boost incomes, the resulting population growth eventually drives the average product of labor back down to the subsistence level. Consequently, the new long-run equilibrium features a larger population, but with incomes no higher than before. The ultimate effect of better technology in this framework is not to make people wealthier, but to support a larger population at the subsistence level.
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