Thomas Malthus and Modern Agriculture

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that the arguments presented by economist Robert Thomas Malthus in regard to the English Poor Law can be expanded to numerous areas, including agriculture. The paper discusses the features of modern agriculture and Malthus' potential beliefs. The paper then shows how, due to the unique features of our contemporary economy, the liberalized markets and fierce competition, most of Malthus' arguments no longer find a practical application.

From the Paper:

"Thomas Malthus was a renowned economist of the seventeenth century England. His main areas of interest were demographics and the status of the population. One of his particular works was an essay that criticised the implementation of the Poor Law. This law was meant to relief poverty. It presupposed that a community's poor were identified and then aided by the wealthy population. The paupers were all brought together in workhouses, which were locations where the poor would live and work. The law was both welcome and criticised: the intention to aid the poor was noble, but on the other hand, it disadvantaged the working community and was perceived as an encouragement for poverty."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Roberts, Andrew, Wealth and Poverty: Malthus and Ricardo, Middlesex University, November 1, 1999, http://www.mdx.ac.uk/WWW/STUDY/SHE7.htm, last accessed on October 11, 2007
• Malthus, Robert Thomas, An Essay on the Principles of Population..., Retrieved from The Library of Economics and Liberty, http://www.econlib.org/Library/Malthus/malPlong.html, on October 11, 2007

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