Policies Aimed at Demographic
Causes of Undernutrition
Text extracted from:
The World Food Problem
Leathers & Foster, 2004
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Reduced Population Growth
results in more food per person
• A successful policy to reduce
population growth
– Will result in lower food prices
– And lower food quantity
• But the drop in population
growth
– Reduces demand more than the
drop in food quantity
http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/gfp/globalfoodprojections2020_graph05.jpg
• Thus food availability per
person increases
Rapid Population Growth
• Problems:
–
–
–
–
Prices Increase
Education more difficult
Capital/person drops
Inequity increases
• All increase undernutrition
– Children hurt most
– Thus reducing family size
important
• Need to speed up
demographic transition
http://www.populationaction.org/resources/factsheets/factsheet30.htm
How to hasten demographic
transition
• Increase income
– But initially may have more
children
– Pensions mean: need to have
fewer children
• Increase Education
– Especially of women
• Increases employment
• Increases family planning
• Increase Health Care
– Reduces infant mortality
• Thus need to have fewer
children
Pronatalist Public Policy
• Old policies that promote
having children
– When many children died from
• Wars
• Famines
• Infectious Diseases
– Common throughout world
• Tax Deductions
• Unlimited subsidized maternity
leave
• Child care subsidies
• Need new policies to favor
small families
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Incentives for small families
• Tea Estates, India
– Maternity and child
benefits paid by Tea Estate
• But mothers receive
retirement for each month
do not have children
– Retirement account is
charged if have 3 or more
children
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39537000/jpg/_39537645_teagarden203.jpg
• To pay for maternity and
child benefits
Disincentives for large families
• China one child policy
– if sign contract to have only one
child
• Receive Glory Certificate
–
–
–
–
–
Priority child care
Priority medical care
Priority admission to schools
Increased income
Larger housing
– If have 2 kids
• Must return benefits
• Income reduced
– If have 3 kids
• Increased sanctions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/755000/images/_755525_child150.jpg
Population projection for China
http://trak.in/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/windowslivewriterindiaandchinathedifferenceinpopulationgr-6d9india-overtakes-china-in-population10.png
Fertility Rates
• Higher marriage age
– Fertility reduced 1.4 child
• Increased contraception use
– Fertility reduced 4.5 child
• Induced abortion
– Fertility reduced .5 child
• Reduced breast feeding
– Fertility increased 1.5 child
Contraceptive use, Cambodia
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Family Planning
• Many women want to
limit their family
– May have limited
access to family
planning
Desire for children among
married women, Cambodia
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