In a world of scarce resources we have an ever growing population. There have been genocides, brutal and various terrorists attacks, natural disasters (most recently an earthquake hitting Nepal and parts of India), however the world population continues to increase.
Garrett Hardin argues that 'a finite world can support only a finite population; therefore, population growth must eventually equal zero." This is not true in the sense that population cannot stop growing. Reproduction is a natural process. Moreover, it is a personal act and to legally stop an individual from his/her freewill infringes upon freedom of action. Governments can take measures like family planning and awareness, but these methods, which are currently used as well, cannot eliminate the problem entirely. So Hardin proposes that the optimum population should be less than the maximum at least.
The level of population numerically and type wise is very important in determining the workings of a country. Hardin brings up the phrase 'tragedy of commons' and says it develops when "the long-desired goal of social stability becomes a reality... logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy". Many Scandinavian countries have an ageing population and this then effects their state institutions, their productivity, military, economy, etc. For example, Germany has an ageing population, more than 58% of their population is above 50. This has encouraged Germany to attract and bring people in their country through visa relaxations, free education etc. On the other hand, Nigeria has an overly populated country which results in famines, droughts, human trafficking etc as it does not have the resources to look after and cater for all its citizens.
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