Discuss the contribution of Thomas Robert Matthews to the classical theory of economic growth

      

Discuss the contribution of Thomas Robert Matthews to the classical theory of economic growth

  

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Dana
Thomas Robert Matthews, an English cleric and scholar, argued that an increase in a nation’s food production improved the well being of the people but the improvement was temporary because it led to population growth which in turn restored the original per capita production level. In other words mankind had a tendency of using food production for population growth rather than maintaining a high standard of living. This is the Matthewsian trap. An increase I population if unchecked will take place in a geometric progression while food production will increase only in an arithmetic progression. According to Matthews, population will always expand to the level of subsistence and will be held there by famine, war and ill health and only vices such as contraception, misery and self-restraint could check this excessive growth

Dana05 answered the question on July 3, 2019 at 11:19


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