MAASAI MARA UNIVERSITY
REGULAR UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS 2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR
THIRD YEAR FIRST SEMESTER
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ECONOMICS
COURSE CODE: ECO 318
COURSE TITLE: POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
DATE: 31ST AUGUST 2015 TIME: 8.30AM-10.30AM
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Question ONE is compulsory
Answer any other THREE questions
This paper consists of 3 printed pages. Please turn over.
QUESTION 1
a) i) Describe the theory of demographic transition. (9 mks)
ii) Explain and justify what stage in this transition Kenya seems to be.
(5 mks)
b) Explain the relationship between age structure of a population and its dependency burden. ( 6mks)
c) Discuss the economic effects of underpopulation and overpopulation. (5 mks)
QUESTION 2
a) Explain Economic and Social policies the governments of developing and developed countries and international assistance agencies might consider to bring about a reduction in the overall rates of world population growth. (10 mks)
b) The current price of population growth has deterred economic and social advance, and gravely threatens environmental preservation. Discuss (5 mks)
QUESTION 3
a) Describe the burden of hidden momentum of population growth and its importance for projecting future population trend in less developing countries. (9 mks)
b) Explain the optimum theory of population. (6 mks)
QUESTION 4
a) i) Discuss the Coale-Hoover thesis about adverse effects of population growth on saving and capital formation. (6 mks)
ii) On what grounds should this thesis be rejected? (4 mks)
b) Explain how economists should espouse multi-disciplinary explanation of migration in developing countries. (5 mks)
QUESTION 5
a) Policies to promote urban economic modernization often lead to increased urban unemployment and underemployment. Explain. (4 mks)
b) Describe the essential assumptions and major features of the Todaro model of rural-urban migration. (4 mks)
c) Explain the following concepts as used in population and development.
i) Capital- swallowing effects (2 mks)
ii) Investment – diversion effect (2 mks)
iii) Malthusian population trap (3 mks)
