Demography, Territory & Law: Rules of Animal & Human Populations

BOOK ONE of FOUR in a series exploring population, economy and politics using radical new interpretations of evolutionary theory. How different land tenure systems may have very different outcomes for human beings and the other creatures we share the planet with. How one system can launch us into industrial capitalism and the insatiable demands of ever faster growth, dooming us to overpopulation and poverty, whereas the other system can promote steady-state economies, equity and equality. One chapter comprehensively reviews theories of human population dynamics. Two chapters look at impact on fertility opportunities of the Westermarck Effect and incest avoidance in non-human species. A final chapter compares these with kinship restrictions and non-sale of land in Pacific Islander and other traditional social systems. Subsequent books compare Britain with continental Europe, but this book helps to understand the demographic and political problems of societies after colonisation and development.