Abstract
Population dynamics are the patterns of change over time in populations. Populations fluctuate in response to fluctuating external forces, or because of the internal structure of the process of demographic renewal. Damped cycles one generation long may result from the interaction of random perturbation and the age distribution of reproduction. So-called Easterlin cycles two generations long, either damped or self-exciting, may arise from the lag between birth and labour force entry when fertility responds sensitively to labour market conditions. Longer-term dynamics arise from the interactions of population growth, capital, endogenous technology, and income.
This chapter was originally published in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, 2008. Edited by Steven N. Durlauf and Lawrence E. Blume
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Bibliography
Boserup, E. 1981. Population and technological change. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Coale, A. 1972. The growth and structure of human populations: A mathematical investigation. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Easterlin, R. 1968. Population, labor force, and long swings in economic growth. New York: National Bureau for Economic Research.
Jones, C. 2003. Population and ideas: A theory of endogenous growth. In Knowledge, information, and expectations in modern macroeconomics: In honor of Edmund S. Phelps, ed. P. Aghion et al. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Kremer, M. 1993. Population growth and technological change: 1,000,000 B.C. to 1990. Quarterly Journal of Economics 108: 681–716.
Lee, R. 1974. The formal dynamics of controlled populations and the echo, boom and the bust. Demography 11: 563–585.
Lee, R. 1986. Malthus and Boserup: A dynamic synthesis. In The state of population theory, ed. D. Coleman and R. Schofield. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Lee, R. 1997. Population dynamics: Equilibrium, disequilibrium, and consequences of fluctuations. Handbook of population and family economics, v. 1B, ed. M. Rosenzweig and O. Stark. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Malthus, T. 1798. In An essay on the principle of population, ed. A. Flew. Harmondsworth: Penguin. , 1970.
Samuelson, P. 1976. An economist’s non-linear model of self-generated fertility waves. Population Studies 30: 243–247.
Solow, R. 1956. A contribution to the theory of economic growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics 70: 65–94.
Wachter, K. 1991. Elusive cycles: Are there dynamically possible Lee–Easterlin models for US births? Population Studies 45: 109–135.
Wrigley, E., and R. Schofield. 1981. The population history of England 1541–1871: A reconstruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Yule, G. 1906. Changes in the marriage and birth rates in England and Wales during the past half century. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 69 (1): 18–132.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2008 The Author(s)
About this entry
Cite this entry
Lee, R.D. (2008). Population Dynamics. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_1874-2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_1874-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95121-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences
Publish with us
Chapter history
-
Latest
Population Dynamics- Published:
- 13 March 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_1874-2
-
Original
Population Cycles- Published:
- 29 November 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_1874-1