Taking Population Seriously

Most books on population simply sound the alarm. Taking Population Seriously asks what positively can be learned form the Third World's few success stories. Six Third World countries, plus the Indian state of Kerala, stand out for achieving dramatic reductions in birth rates. What made their success possible? What lessons do they hold for our planet?

Taking Population Seriously
Frances Moore Lappé and Rachel Schurman
ISBN: 0-935028-53-6
1990
96 pages
$7.95 paperback

"Taking Population Seriously is a thoughtful, well-researched, and persuasive. Lappé and Schurman's work has instructed and inspired me."
--Dr. Donella Meadows, Environmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College

"Taking Population Seriously is the perfect remedy for those who naively believe that the root cause of hunger, poverty, and children's mortality throughout the world is simply population growth."
--Dr. George Kent, Political Science Department, University of Hawaii
Table of Contents

Chapter One: The Population Puzzle
Chapter Two: The Population Debate

What Set Off the Population Explosion?
Population: What's the Problem?

Chapter Three: A Power-Structures Perspective

Children: Poor People's Source of Power
When Many Babies Die
Women: Powerlessness and High Birth Rates
The Fertility Consequences of Son Preference
Not Only Women Are Made Powerless
Summarizing the Power-Structures Perspective

Chapter Four: The Debate About Solutions

The Consequences of Focusing Narrowly on Family Planning
How Far Can Birth Control Alone Take Us?
Can Reducing Population Growth Alleviate Hunger and Other Social Problems?
Solutions from the Power-Structures Perspective

Chapter Five: Reflections And Implications

For Action
Adding the Missing Piece to the Population Puzzle
A Country's Poverty Is No Excuse
Broadening the Vision
Effective Responses to the Population Problem

Notes