Malthus

Thomas Robert Malthus (1766–1834) was an English cleric, scholar, and economist best known for his theories on population dynamics and political economy. A fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, he wrote extensively on social and economic issues and influenced debates on poverty, public policy, and development. In 1798 he published An Essay on the Principle of Population, anonymously, arguing that population tends to grow geometrically while the means of subsistence increase only arithmetically. This, he claimed, creates a persistent tension between people and resources.

Malthus identified two categories of checks on population growth: preventive checks, such as moral restraint and later marriage, and positive checks, including famine, disease, and war, which raise mortality. According to his view, these checks help restore balance but can entail human suffering. He also stressed that policy and institutions could influence population trends, particularly through social norms that affect marriage and reproduction.

Impact and critique: Malthus's ideas shaped early discussions in demography and classical economics and influenced policy debates on welfare, land, and population. Critics noted that technological progress, capital accumulation, and institutional changes can raise subsistence limits and avert the grim outcomes he described. In modern usage, "Malthusian" often refers to models in which population pressure risks outstripping resources, though many economies have achieved sustained growth beyond simple subsistence levels.

Selected works: An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798); The Principles of Political Economy (1820).