The Grad Voice

As we have for the last year, the Graduate Voice takes on a social question with each new issue; this time we focus on population. Population is a large topic, and there is no way we could cover its breadth or depth in its entirety. We leave that to journals that specialize in population and certain people here at Baruch College who have dedicated their lives to this study. Instead, we wanted to find out what graduate students are passionate about when they think of population. There are so many ways to look at the debate on population that each one of us may find it interesting in his or her own way. That is exactly what we found when we asked graduate students to write on a topic of their choosing on issues of population.

What is population study? Is it about policy, social and religious values, national survival? Is it a public matter or is it personal? Are there too many people; or are there too few being born?

Overpopulation is a concern when there are scarce resources and the human population overburdens those resources. Exploding populations strain the means of production resulting in decreased standards of living. Many poor countries also have exploding populations, and the concern is that they will stay poor until they can limit their populations' growth. For Isabella Mouton, women's education and reproductive rights are the keys to improving the lives of the world's poorest people. Through education women are empowered in their relationships and in their choices. Reproductive rights give women a greater control of their destiny. Oded Kafka takes a skeptical view of concerns about overpopulation at the global level. There have always been dire predictions that global population growth cannot continue unabated, and these predictions have proved false in the past. New innovations will arise to relieve population pressure.

Yang Yu and Roopa Bhat take a closer look at population issues in two particular countries. Ms. Bhat writes about Indian policy efforts that have failed to lower an explosive birthrate in that nation. She also discusses how social and religious values run counter to perceived national interests.

And it appears, therefore, to be decisive against the possible existence of a society, all the members of which should live in ease, happiness, and comparative leisure; and feel no anxiety about providing the means of subsistence for themselves and families. -Malthus

Yang Yu gives us a perspective that only she can - an only child born under China's "One Child" Policy. She looks at the effect that the policy has had on her generation, on her family and on herself.

While some areas of the world struggle with an exploding population, others wonder how a shrinking younger generation will support the older generation in its twilight years. Sam Saverance examines the challenges faced by countries with shrinking populations, and in particular the countries of Africa with ravaging rates of HIV/AIDS infection.

[This world] …seems sick an' it's hungry, it's tired an' it's torn it look like it's a-dyin' an' it's hardly been born.
-Bob Dylan

Perhaps there is an aspect of population we have not considered that you wish to share with us? Feel free to write to the Graduate Voice at gradvoice@baruch.cuny.edu.

Contents
A Woman's Role in Overpopulation
What Overpopulation?
China's "One-Child" Policy
India: Religion versus Policy in Population Control
Filling a Void: Dangers of Depopulation

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