827 



of development. The same process is recurring in the developing coun- 

 tries today, but at a time when the tempo of technological change is 

 perhaps more rapid. The very speed of that change, rubbing against 

 traditional values and social arrangements, exacerbates social tensions. 



Opposition to the Lifniting of Populaiion Groioth 



It is the consensus of most U.S. students of the subject that fertility 

 in the LDCs must be reduced to enable those countries to develop. 

 There is a contrary view : Economic development requires population 

 growth; powerful industrialized states have large populations; de- 

 velopment must achieve economies of scale, which fact implies a large 

 internal market ; large areas of uninhabited land must be inhabited to 

 support industrialization. Some Brazilians, for example, have argued 

 in these terms. 



Many Marxists in the LDCs view with a jaundiced eye the interest 

 of the United States and other developed countries in limiting popula- 

 tion growth. They suggest that the idea of limiting population is just 

 a U.S. or Western device to contain their economies in a dependent and 

 semi-colonial status. Apart from their Marxist outlook, their thinking 

 appears to parallel that of persons of a more moderate or even rightist 

 persuasion who believe that large population and industrial prowess 

 go hand in hand. 



A racial note is introduced by some leaders in the LDCs, who main- 

 tain that family planning and other programs designed to limit popu- 

 lation growth are simply devices to maintain white domination over the 

 non-white peoples of the world. This claim is often coupled with the 

 accusation that the developed countries want to keep the LDCs in 

 economic subjugation. 



Still another view is that it is wrong to project present population 

 trends siaaplistically. Little is known about the forces shaping popu- 

 lation growth and flat predictions are risky. Moreover, concern over 

 the gap between living standards in the developed and the less de- 

 veloped countries is futile, since it is impossible to close th?.t gap 

 anyway. The important goal, in this view, is to concentrate on attain- 

 ing the greatest possible economic progress within the LDCs in terms 

 which will benefit the peox)le, thus generating support for continued 

 development. 



The Technology of Controlling Conception and Birth 



The population explosion that places such a brake on development in 

 the LDCs is attributable to a powerful combination of human motives. 

 In addition to the general motivations of the sex drive and the desire 

 to perpetuate the species, there are special motivations that operate 

 with particular force in the LDCs. One is the prestige reward of the 

 mothers of large families and the "machismo" of male virility. An- 

 other is the role of children as a form of old age insurance in the close- 

 knit families of the LDCs. This combination of motivations makes 

 implementation of birth control technology uncommonly difficult. The 

 technology itself has the effect of separating the individual function 

 of sex gratification from the social function of human reproduction. 

 Both functions are at the core of strong emotions, long-established 

 social mores, and profound religious beliefs. One basic uncertainty 

 involves the extent to which any technologv, however neutral or unob- 

 trusive, ca' win acceptance over these opposing forces. 



