Social Darwinism

"Man, like every other animal, has no doubt advanced to his present high condition through a struggle for existence consequent on his rapid multiplication; and if he is to advance still higher, it is to be feared that he must remain subject to a severe struggle." Darwin

Darwin's insight that, as long as population was regulated by Malthusian mechanisms, mankind would be subject to natural selection was profoundly correct.

Preindustrial England in the  years 1250-1800
Economic success translated powerfully into reproductive success, with the richest individuals having more than twice the number of surviving children at death as the poorest.

Clark (2007) A Farewell to Alms Ch.6 p.112

Time Preference

Definition
Time preference is simply the idea that, everything else being equal, people prefer to consume now rather than later.

Characteristics
・Time preference rates are very high in young children and decline as they age.
・Time preference rates are higher among the poor and less educated. Children with high time preference rates in preschool in California did less well academically later and had lower SAT scores.

Clark (2007) A Farewell to Alms Ch.9 p.171

Malthusian Model

The Malthusian model supplies a mechanism to explain the long-run population stability before 1800. There are three assumptions:

1. Each society has a birth rate, determined by customs regulating fertility, but increasing with material living standards.

2. The death rate in each society declines as living standards increase.

3. Material living standards decline as population increases.

Clark (2007) A Farewell to Alms Ch.2