Population: The Ultimate Resource

More than a decade ago, I began making my name arguing against the notion that population is India's biggest problem.

After all, cities are crowded - and rich!

I argued in favour of aggressive urbanization - as I still do.

I also argued that the Real Problem was The State. The policies of The State were keeping Indians poor.

Population is a resource. Government is the problem. That is what I believe to be true.

Back in those days, Barun Mitra decided to compile a book with essays by eminent people who opposed neo-Malthusianism. My essay, "Population, Urbanization, 'Vision' and Abundance" was included in that list. The book Population: The Ultimate Resource was a huge hit, and won the Anthony Fisher International Memorial Award for best book published by a think-tank that year. The book contains seminal essays by Julian Simon, Peter Bauer, Deepak Lal, Nicholas Eberstadt and others.

Anyway, thanks to Chandra, we now have a pdf file of my essay.

It can be downloaded here.

Enjoy the read.

And know where the real problem lies - not with little brown babies, but with old men and their spurious ideologies.

Indeed, the lead editorial in Mint today argues that "a weak India has always been a Leftist aspiration. A strong middle class and confident India will make the Left redundant."

Poverty is in the interest of The State.