POPULATION POLICY

POPULATION POLICY

What is Population Policy?

A policy is a set of objectives along with a measures and means to achieving these objectives. The measure may be internally generated revenue of programmes.

Policy is also a formalized set of procedures design to guide behaviour with the aims of either maintain consistently in the behaviour or to alter the behaviour (maintain certain behaviour or change the behaviour entirely); the objectives requires a policy only if there is some indications that the goal may not be achieved unless a policy is implemented (i.e. you cannot make policy on every happening)

However, what constitute a Population Policy has been variously conceived by different writers on the subject and no generally accepted definition has been emerged yet (i.e. it has various definitions; there is no universally accepted definition). Perhaps the view with white currency is that of Spengler and Duncan (1956), in their opinion, Population Policy is a specific set of government objectives relative to the population magnitude and/or composition along with the instruments by which it may be possible to achieve those objectives. Population Policy Instruments includes:

1.     Legislative Measures: these are laws with regards to the power of the legislative e.g. Law on Same Sex marriage etc.

2.     Administrative Measure: These are government programmes like the Poverty eradication programmes, polio eradications etc

3.     Government Actions: these includes anti-corruption crusade, issues behind ban on custom duties on cars etc. 

The above instruments are intended to alter or modify existing population trends in the interest of national survival and welfare (policy must have a national character, it must not be motivated by religion or ethnic sentiments or selfish ambition but for the national survival) where many aspects of public policy influenced demographic phenomena, population policies embraces those aspects of general social policies that are design to counteracts unwanted demographic efforts of overall public policies or of other social forces. Population Policy understood from these perspectives is a positive deliberate action by government taken expressively to facilitate achievement of adopted goals relative to population size, growth and composition in the interest of national wellbeing.

            Finally, Population Policy represents a strategy for achieving a particular pattern of population change (i.e. to accelerate, diminish or stabilized the population growth)

EXAMPLES OF POPULATION POLICIES

(Both Incentives/Disincentives)

1.     Policy to limit fertility

2.     Accelerate fertility

3.     Policies on job, housing, education to score families, makes opportunity easier for them

4.     Indirect policies on economic development to societies with lower population size

5.     Increase educational opportunities to women

6.     Increase labour force opportunity to women

7.     Make employment easier to women in government offices

8.     Peer pressure campaign; i.e. target specific groups e.g. women, mothers etc

9.     Lower the infant and child mortality rate, improve health care system

10.                        Higher taxes for each additional child

11.                        Higher maternal and educational cost on each additional child

12.                        Policy to legalize abortion

13.                        Policy to legalize sterilization (blocking of womb)

14.                        Policies on family planning

15.                        Programmes on family planning

16.                        Politicians campaign against child mortality etc.