Population and Poverty: A Review of the Links, Evidence and Implications for the Philippines

The article reviews trends in population and poverty, compares population and development between the Philippines and Thailand over the last 40 years, discusses the theoretical links between population and poverty as well as the empirical evidence, and finally its implications for policy. The author emphasizes the primacy of growth as a development strategy in reducing poverty and perhaps inequality, as well as better fertility management--particularly among the poor--aimed at the potential development benefits arising from demography.