Çevrimdışı

ABSTRACT
THE RELATİONSHİP BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHİC TRANSİTİON AND
POVERTY İN DEVELOPİNG COUNTRİES
Ediz Deniz KANDIR
Master Thesis, Department of Economics
Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Tolga KABAŞ
May 2013, 141 pages
The relationship between population growth and economic growth has been an
important research subject since times immemorial. Following the theory put forward
by Malthus that population growth has a negative impact on economic growth, the
debate on the relationship between population and economy gained a new dimension.
While some views on the relation between population growth and economic growth
argue that population growth has a negative impact on economic growth, others argue
that population growth has a positive impact and some others argue that there’s no
impact of population changes on economy (neutral). However, the point these
approaches have in common is that they have been focused on changes in the size of
population only. İn recent years, however, the studies focusing on the changes in the age
structure of population came to the fore, and it’s been observing that the changes in age
structure of population have important effects on demographic, social and economic
structures of countries. Changes in the age structure of the population occur during the
period called demographic transition that represents a move from high birth and detah
rates toward low birth and death rates.
During the demographic transtition, the reduction in the share of child and
elderly dependency ratio and the increase in the share of working age population in the
overall population creates an opportunity for economic growth provided that necessery
education and employment opportunities are supplied. This opportunity, in particular, is
of great importance for the developing countries where there is stil widespread poverty.
Many developing countries haven’t completed the demographic transition yet and they
have the chance of transforming the increase in the working-age population into
economic growth and reducing their poverty rate before their populations get older.vi
In this study, the relation between population and economy analyzed in terms of
changes in age structure of population and their effects on economic growth and
poverty.The aim is to display that as a result of changes in the age structures, provided
that necessary policies and regulations are put into practice, both in Turkey and in
developing countries, economic growth and poverty reduction can occur.
Keywords: Demographic Transition, Dependent Population, Economic Growth and
Poverty