Society Discussion Post
• What are "market externalities," including "positive externalities" and "negative externalities? Give two examples of positive externalities and two of negative externalities.
• Discuss negative externalities in view of "The story of stuff."
• What is "Karl Polanyi's Paradox" (not his brother "Michael Polanyi's Paradox")? Give an example.
• What is the "Malthusian" theory of population, and what is its underlying ideology? What are the general arguments against Malthusian theory?
• What is the concept of "the carrying capacity of the Earth"? What is problematic about this concept?
• What is the "demographic transition" theory and the "wealth flows" theory of population? How do they specifically argue against the Malthusian theory?
• How does the article "Too many Africans?" critique mainstream ideas about overpopulation (especially Malthusian and neo-Malthusian ideas) and coincide with wealth flows theory? How does the critique also coincide with the documentary video "King Leopold's Ghost"?
• In summary, does the textbook author regard overpopulation as a principal cause of global poverty, environmental degradation, and social/political conflict? Why or why not?
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.
Reference
Part A
1. "The story of stuff" (review: video, 21 minutes)
2. "The litter myth" (review: audio, 33 minutes)
3. "Negative externalities" (read the first two paragraphs) and "positive externalities" (read the first two paragraphs)
4. "Deserted oil wells haunt Los Angeles with toxic fumes and enormous cleanup costs".
o "Stop blaming population growth for climate change. The real culprit is wealth inequality"
Part B
1. "Population, sustainability, and Malthus: Crash course in world history 215" (video, 12:50 minutes)
2. "Too many Africans?"
3. GPCC, Part two, "The global impact of the culture of capitalism: Introduction"; and chapter 5, "The problem of population growth"