Abstract
Malthusian models occupy a central position in the interpretation and analysis of long-term economic and demographic change in preindustrial societies. The models are logically plausible and attractive, but ultimately they will have to be confronted with systematic evidence before being accepted. In this paper results are reported that cast some doubt on these models in the case of prefamine Ireland. The results indicate that the evidence supporting Malthusian views is not strong, and that the modus operandi of the nexus between economic and demographic variables is probably far more complex than is implied in standard Malthusian models.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 159-166 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | The Journal of Economic History |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1980 |
Funding
The author is Associate Professor of Economics, Northwestern University, and Visiting Associate Professor of Economics, Stanford University. The research for this paper was funded by the National Science Foundation, Grant SOC78-06710. The comments and suggestions of Louis P. Cain, Elizabeth Hoffman, and Paul Zawa are acknowledged.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- History
- Economics and Econometrics
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance (miscellaneous)