VisionIAS - Video Classroom Lecture

Society Class 01

POPULATION AND ASSOCIATED ISSUES (9:03 A.M.)

Statistics
(a) The debate concerning population growth- Liability or Asset
Demography
(a) Concept
(b) Types
(c) Demographic Dividend
Factors Affecting Population Change
(a) Fertility
(b) Mortality
(c) Migration
Vulnerable sections
(a) Children
(b) Persons of Old-age
(c) Persons with disabilities
(d) Transgenders
Population Policy
(a) Concept
(b) Types
(c) Evolution
(d) Need for a new policy

DEBATE CONCERNING POPULATION GROWTH (9:09 A.M.)

According to the UN Population Fund, India has surpassed China and emerged as the most populous nation in the World.
It will continue to hold the top spot till 2100.
Liability
(a) There are limited resources.
(b) This in addition to disproportionate demand, will lead to inequality with respect to the distribution of benefits, opportunities, and resources.
(c) This will further create a sense of relative deprivation.
(d) It will lead to social conflict, creating a law and order situation.
(e) This will lead to the diversion of resources, which will negatively impact the social infrastructure.
(f) It will negatively impact the economic growth of the country.
(g) Intersectionality Approach:
Major disadvantages will be with respect to class/caste/gender/ethnicity/etc.
However, treating a high population as a liability is the one-sided accentuation of reality, as the same population growth can be turned into an asset if we transform it into human capital.

HUMAN CAPITAL (9:17 A.M.)

Human capital refers to knowledge, skill, and health accumulated by an individual in their life, which enable us to act as productive assets for society.
Investments made to build Human Capital
(a) Investment in education and health.
(b) Job training
(c) Skill upgradation
(d) Migration for the search for better opportunities.
(e) Information regarding jobs in the labor market.

THE PROSPECTS OF HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION

Individual Level
(a) Upward social mobility.
(b) Ability to realize the true potential.
(c) Higher earnings.
(d) Productive assets.
Family Level
(a) Standard of living will increase.
(b) Intergenerational benefits.
Societal level
(a) Investing in human capital will lead to better social cohesion.
(b) It will increase the trust in the institutions.
(c) These together will strengthen the social capital.
Society needs sufficient human capital to produce further human capital, for example, we need teachers, trainers, and skill providers.
National Level
(a) It creates the innovation potential.
(b) Overall economic growth.
(c) Potential for enterprises.
(d) Potential for sustainable development and poverty reduction.
(e) Remittances.
(f) The Image of the nation at the global level is enhanced.
(g) There is an increase in female labor force participation.
The government has taken various steps concerning human capital formation.
(a) Knowledge
National Education Policy, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan, NIPUN Bharat, Digital Education initiatives (DIKSHA, SWAYAM, etc.), etc.
(b) Skill
PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Grameen Kaushal Yojana, and Atal Innovation Mission.
(c) Health
For example Ayushman Bharat, Skill India, National Health Mission, etc.

DEMOGRAPHY (9:39 A.M.)

It consists of two words demo and graphy. It means the characteristics of the population.
It is defined as the trends and processes associated with the population.
For example, Birth Rate, Death Rate, Sex Ratio, Migration, Age Structure, Literacy Levels, etc.
There are two types of demography: Formal demography and social demography.
Formal demography deals with various statistics-related information dealing with the various aspects of the population.
Social demography deals with the social analysis of statistical information on the population.

DISCUSSION ON QUESTION

There exists a stark North-South divide with respect to demography. Discuss its impact on the policy formulation by the government. (150 words)
Approach:
Here mention the differences in the policy formulations with respect to differences in the fertility level, education level, and migration.
For example, In Kerala, the literacy level is close to 100 percent, while in Uttar Pradesh it is 67%.

DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND (9:52 A.M.)

Demographic Dividend is the economic growth potential generated due to the bulge in the working age group.
Currently, the population in the working age group (15-59 years) is 62.5%. It is expected to peak around 2036 (65%).
India is now termed as a 'young country' with an average age of 29 years. (The average age of the population in China is 37 years, and in Japan is 48 years.)

DISCUSSION ON QUESTION

Examine how the bulge in the working age group creates a potential for economic growth. (150 words)
Points
(a) Increased availability of labor force.
(b) Fluid intelligence of the young population.
(c) Youth has high risk-taking ability.
(d) It will create a pool of cheap labor.
The availability of the labor force will enable the nation to achieve its global aspirations.
(e) Independent population is more as compared to the dependent population, which creates scope for more savings and investments.
(f) With more purchasing power potential, domestic consumption will increase.
(g) Due to less government spending on the dependent population, the fiscal space for investment in the social infrastructure would be created.
(h) It can contribute to economic growth through remittances.
(i) The working class is aspirational and hence will create pressure on the government for better opportunities, which in turn will create grounds for industrialization, urbanization, start-up culture, etc.
(j) It will reduce the social conflicts in the society.
However, this window of opportunity is for a limited period as the population will peak in 2041.
Secondly, demographic dividend only offers a potential, it doesn't guarantee economic growth.
Economic growth depends on two factors: the quality of the workforce and job opportunities.

FACTORS DETERMINING OR AFECTING THE POPULATION CHANGE (10:20 A.M.)

(a) Fertility
It means the actual childbearing by women in their reproductive age group (15-45 years).
(b) Fertility Rate
Fertility rate means the number of live children born per 1000 women in the age group 15-49 years.
The total fertility rate (TFR) is 2 (According to NFHS 5).
This is below the replacement level (TFR=2.1).
The exceptions to lower total fertility rates are UP (2.7), Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, and Manipur.
In light of this data, UP has released its population policy where the target is to reduce the population or the fertility rate to 2.1 by 2026, and 1.7 by 2030.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH POPULATION GROWTH (10:27 P.M.)

(a) Poverty.
Still, people believe that more children means more working hands.
(b) Lack of education and awareness with respect to reproductive rights, benefits of small families, family planning methods, etc.
(c) Son-meta preference, early marriage, low status of women, religious beliefs that prohibit the termination of pregnancy, etc.
(d) Increase in life expectancy due to improved health infrastructure and its accessibility.
(e) High Infant Mortality Rate, Child Mortality Rate, etc. also create a greater desire for more children.
(f) Joint family norms.
(g) Universalization of the institution of marriage with the prime purpose of reproduction.

MIGRATION (10:37 P.M.)

(a) Concept
Statistics
Who are migrants?
Types of Migration
(b) Causes: Push and Pull factors.
(c) Consequences: For source region, destination region, and migrants.
(d) Way Forward

DISCUSSION ON QUESTION (10:42 A.M.)

Critically examine the factors responsible for the decline in fertility rate and enumerate its consequences. (150 words)
Points
The total fertility rate is 2.
Causes
(a) The government's effort in the direction of family planning. For example, the National Population Policy, access to contraceptives, Mission Parivar Vikas, Vasectomy fortnight, etc.
(b) Improved nutrition, healthcare, living conditions, and education.
(c) Expanded choices for women along with the increased Female Labor Force Participation.
(d) The change in societal values like delay in marriage age, preference for small families, better status for women, etc.
(e) Urban lifestyle, higher cost of living, the emergence of the nuclear families, etc.

Negative Consequences

(a) The aging population would reduce both savings and investments implying higher taxes or lower spending on the old age population.
(b) The increased burden of the aging population will create more demand for the care economy (purple economy).
However, due to the limited government spending, it is not much developed.
(c) Older people have more crystallized intelligence as against fluid intelligence, which may reduce the potential for innovation and creativity.
(d) Entrepreneurship vacuum as the older countries and their youth are less comfortable in taking risks.
(e) Shift in the family dynamics.
Decreasing family size can disrupt the traditional support system, which in turn can lead to psychological issues (isolation, stress, increased incidences of suicides, etc.).
(f) Decline in the demography may also lead to skewed migration patterns which may attract immigrants to address the workforce shortages. However, it may end up creating socio-cultural conflicts.

MIGRATION: CONCEPT (10:58 A.M.)

It is a process where the population is moving from one geographical unit to another with the change in residence for a considerable amount of time.
A migrant is a person whose current place of residence is different from his place of birth or the last place of residence.

Types of Migration

Based on Duration: Permanent, Semi-Permanent, Temporary.
Based on Destination:
(a) Internal: Rural to rural (62%), rural to urban (20%), Urban to urban (13%), and Urban to rural (5%).
(b) International
According to the Economic Survey 2017 inter-state migrants are around 60 million, and inter-district migrants are around 80 million.

ECONOMIC CAUSES FOR MIGRATION (11:08 P.M.)

Source
Push factor: Agriculture distress, lack of employment opportunities, etc.
Pull Back factor: Government schemes and counter magnets.
Destination
Pull Factor: Industrialization, Globalization, etc.
Push Back Factor: Congestion, high cost of living, etc.

SOCIO-CULTURAL CAUSES FOR MIGRATION

Source
Push factor: Differential access to resources.
Pull Back factor: Feeling of nativism and family reunification
Destination
Pull Factor: Urbanism and marriage.
Push Back Factor: Lack of cultural integration and ghettoization.

POLITICAL CAUSES FOR MIGRATION

Source
Push factor: Violence and corruption.
Pull Back factor: Strengthening of local governance.
Destination
Pull Factor: Political freedom and safety and security.
Push Back Factor: Son of soil policy.

CONSEQUENCES (11:13 A.M.)

Source Region
(a) Economic
Loss of Human resources
Provide opportunities to the source area to employ greater focus in improving the economic conditions of the reduced population.
Benefits of Remittances.
Low industrialization.
(b) Demographic
The dependent population will increase.
The feminization of work.
The decline in the birth rate.
High probability of child labor.
(c) Socio-cultural
Acts as an agent of social change, as new ideas get diffused to the source area.
The absence of adult males may cause the dislocation of families, a dual burden, and violence against women.
(d) Political
It may lead to the emergence of ghost hamlets which overall decline the political representation.

Destination Region

(a) Economic
Availability of cheap labor.
Overburdening of resources.
The increased cost of living.
Increase in the rental economy.
It will promote the labor-intensive industries.
Informalization of the labor market.
Boost to the economy.
Productivity will increase.
(b) Demographic
Skewed sex ratio.
Change in the ethnic composition of the profile.
It negatively can impact both literacy and the health profile of the demography.
Violence against the marginalized may impact their morbidity and mortality.
(c) Socio-cultural
Promotion of multiculturalism but at the same time cultural chauvinism.
Increased ghettoization based on primordial identities.
Slum proliferation.
The problem of cultural lag.
Rise of the middle class.
Rise in regionalism.
A rise in demand for limited resources might increase the incidences of crime.
(d) Political
Son of soil policy.
The challenges faced by the state administration because of excessive population.
The change in political dynamics of the region.
the constitution of various pressure groups that may impact the policies of the government.

THE TOPIC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: MIGRATION (CONTINUED)