| ▲ | dgunay 16 hours ago |
| The economy depends on some level of growth, so if we can't accomplish that with a stable or shrinking population then it's gonna be a bad time for a while. EDIT: I did not think I'd have to state this explicitly, but: yes, I am in fact talking about the capitalist economy the western world currently operates under growth = economic growth |
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| ▲ | decimalenough 16 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| By "economy", I presume you mean things like real estate speculation. Japan is a good example of a country where the population has been in steady decline for a long time now. The economy has stagnated, but it has not collapsed. The more worrisome part of what we're seeing in Japan is the total hollowing out of the countryside as the young systematically pack into the three large cities that increasingly dominate all economic activity, namely Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. |
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| ▲ | coldtea 15 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | >Japan is a good example of a country where the population has been in steady decline for a long time now. The economy has stagnated, but it has not collapsed. Give it time. Japan only crossed the point of deaths > births about 20 years ago, which was also the time it reached peak population (as recorded by a census around that time). Give it 20 years for the peak kids to grow above 40 and it will be a dystopia. | |
| ▲ | toomuchtodo 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Why is rural depopulation worrisome? Young people, as one would expect, want to be located near other young people and jobs. | | |
| ▲ | pnw 16 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Increasing the high-density urban population leads to even lower fertility. "We find a robust association between density and fertility over time, both within- and between-countries. That is, increases in population density are associated with declines in fertility rates, controlling for a variety of socioeconomic, socioecological, geographic, population-based, and female empowerment variables." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34914431/ | |
| ▲ | coldtea 15 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | These young people will be middle aged people located near old people, with a huge average age - and the flee to the cities will increase that. | |
| ▲ | bahmboo 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Because that's where the food comes from. | | |
| ▲ | amanaplanacanal 16 hours ago | parent [-] | | Are they producing less food? Migration from the country to the city has been going on for a long time. You just don't need as many people to produce food as you used to. |
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| ▲ | wavemode 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| "bad time" is relative. Perhaps the lifestyles of the West are simply fundamentally unsustainable. |
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| ▲ | dwattttt 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| The economic paradigm that evolved during the exponential portion of population growth depends on it. It's not the only model that can possibly exist, and it looks like we'll be meeting new ones. |
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| ▲ | shadowgovt 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Why does the economy require growth? Biological systems can find equilibria, why can't an economy do the same? |
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| ▲ | coldtea 15 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Economy in general doesnt require growth. The economy we were born into, the level of material production, business, amenities etc and how we run things, does. It can find an equilibrium at some point, but it will be blood and people who think they should have robot servants and food delivery wont like it. As for the time it will be achieving that equilibrium, it will be painful. | |
| ▲ | estimator7292 16 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Because bigger number, obviously. All economies do not inherently rely on growth. It's just that capitalists have brainwashed themselves into believing capitalism is the only type of economy possible and that growth can go on without bound literally forever. It's exactly as stupid as it sounds. | | | |
| ▲ | ForHackernews 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Capitalism requires growth. If your sales aren't growing your stock price goes down. |
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| ▲ | mulmen 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| The economy does not depend on population growth. It depends on productivity growth. |
