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Population Size: Individual Choice and Social Optima

Author

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  • Marc Nerlove
  • Assaf Razin
  • Efraim Sadka

Abstract

Optimal population size when fertility is endogenous is considered in relation to two social welfare criteria, a Benthamite and a Millian, and in relation to purely individualistic maximization of utility in the current generation. We show that a tax-subsidy scheme involving child allowances and subsidies to future generation consumption can be found to support a social optimum through individual choice. A general proof that the optimal population size according to the Benthamite criterion is always larger than that given by the Millian criterion is presented, but we show that no general conclusions about the size of the population under laissez-faire are possible.

Suggested Citation

  • Marc Nerlove & Assaf Razin & Efraim Sadka, 1985. "Population Size: Individual Choice and Social Optima," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 100(2), pages 321-334.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:qjecon:v:100:y:1985:i:2:p:321-334.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.2307/1885384
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. de la Croix, David & Doepke, Matthias, 2021. "A soul’s view of the optimal population problem," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 98-108.
    2. Stéphane Zuber, 2018. "Population-adjusted egalitarianism," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-01937766, HAL.
    3. J. Ignacio Conde-Ruiz & Eduardo L. Giménez & Mikel Pérez-Nievas, 2010. "Millian Efficiency with Endogenous Fertility," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 77(1), pages 154-187.
    4. Raouf Boucekkine & Giorgio Fabbri & Fausto Gozzi, 2011. "Revisiting the Optimal Population Size Problem under Endogenous Growth: Minimal Utility Level and Finite Life," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3), pages 287-305.
    5. Boucekkine, R. & Fabbri, G. & Federico, S. & Gozzi, F., 2020. "Control theory in infinite dimension for the optimal location of economic activity: The role of social welfare function," Working Papers 2020-02, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    6. Marsiglio, Simone, 2014. "Reassessing Edgeworth’s conjecture when population dynamics is stochastic," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 130-140.
    7. Raouf Boucekkine & Blanca Martínez & J. Ramon Ruiz-Tamarit, 2018. "Optimal Population Growth as an Endogenous Discounting Problem: The Ramsey Case," Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems, in: Gustav Feichtinger & Raimund M. Kovacevic & Gernot Tragler (ed.), Control Systems and Mathematical Methods in Economics, pages 321-347, Springer.
    8. Stelter, Robert, 2014. "Over-aging: Are present human populations too old?," Thuenen-Series of Applied Economic Theory 137, University of Rostock, Institute of Economics.
    9. Boucekkine, R. & Martínez, B. & Ruiz-Tamarit, J.R., 2013. "Growth vs. level effect of population change on economic development: An inspection into human-capital-related mechanisms," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 312-334.
    10. Alice Schoonbroodt & Michèle Tertilt, 2010. "Who Owns Children and Does it Matter?," NBER Working Papers 15663, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Marsiglio, Simone & La Torre, Davide, 2012. "Population dynamics and utilitarian criteria in the Lucas–Uzawa Model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 1197-1204.
    12. Raouf Boucekkine & Giorgio Fabbri & Fausto Gozzi, 2010. "Life span and the problem of optimal population size," Working Papers halshs-00536073, HAL.
    13. Schoonbroodt, Alice & Tertilt, Michèle, 2014. "Property rights and efficiency in OLG models with endogenous fertility," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 551-582.
    14. Wellisch, Dietmar, 1996. "Decentralized fiscal policy with high mobility reconsidered: Reasons for inefficiency and an optimal intervention scheme," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 91-111, April.
    15. Nicholas Lawson & Dean Spears, 2018. "Optimal population and exhaustible resource constraints," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 31(1), pages 295-335, January.
    16. Boucekkine, R. & Fabbri, G. & Federico, S. & Gozzi, F., 2020. "Control theory in infinite dimension for the optimal location of economic activity: The role of social welfare function," Working Papers 2020-02, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    17. Raouf Boucekkine & Giorgio Fabbri, 2013. "Assessing Parfit’s Repugnant Conclusion within a canonical endogenous growth set-up," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(2), pages 751-767, April.
    18. Pérez-Nievas, Mikel & Conde-Ruiz, José I. & Giménez, Eduardo L., 2019. "Efficiency and endogenous fertility," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 14(2), May.
    19. Marietta A. Constantinides, 1988. "Optimal Population Growth and the Social Welfare Function," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 229-238, Jul-Sep.
    20. Raouf Boucekkine & Giorgio Fabbri & Salvatore Federico & Fausto Gozzi, 2020. "Optimal location of economic activity and population density: The role of the social welfare function," Working Papers halshs-02472772, HAL.
    21. Jon D. Harford, 2000. "The Long-Run Impact on Population and Income of Open Access to Land in a Model with Parental Altruism," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 26(4), pages 419-429, Fall.
    22. Stelter, Robert, 2016. "Over-aging — Are present-day human populations too old?," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 116-143.

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