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- Title
Adam Smith on Population Growth and Economic Development.
- Authors
Spengler, Joseph J.
- Abstract
Adam Smith's views on population are examined primarily in terms of his discussion of adverse state interventionism and its impact on countries less advanced than Britain. The ratio of a nation's produce to its people depends on the quality and proportionate size of the labor force, both of which tend to be optimal in a system of natural liberty. Further, population growth is linked to the funds available for labor, and countries are divided into stationary, progressive, and declining according to the availability of such funds. Although agricultural land sets the ultimate limit on growth, constraints on natural liberty-such as those imposed by mercantilism-act as checks, holding countries stationary before they realize their full potential.
- Publication
Population & Development Review, 1976, Vol 2, Issue 2, p167
- ISSN
0098-7921
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.2307/1972014