title: Fertility decline in Mauritius: the role of Malthusian population pressure.
abstract: Mauritius provides 1 of the outstanding cases of modern fertility reduction in the Third World, yet there has been little analysis and virtually no comparative assessment of this important demographic progression.  It is argued that fertility decline in Mauritius has been hindered by cultural composition, assisted only modestly by ongoing development, but aided significantly by family planning program intervention and by a remarkable wide recognition at government and individual levels of the diseconomies associated with population growth in a congested society; comparisons are made with other densely peopled, small islands.  Spatial variations in fertility and in family planning activity are slight, but Western economic theories of fertility are found to be helpful in interpreting significant temporal fluctuations.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D000351:Africa, Eastern; D000352:Africa, Northern; D001723:Birth Rate; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003710:Demography; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D004777:Environment; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005298:Fertility; D005843:Geography; D006285:Health Planning; D008436:Mauritius; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011640:Public Policy; D012942:Social Sciences
keywords: Africa; Africa South Of The Sahara; Birth Rate; Carrying Capacity; Demographic Factors; Demography; Developing Countries; Eastern Africa; Economic Development; Economic Factors; English Speaking Africa; Environment; Family Planning; Family Planning Programs; Fertility Measurements; Fertility--changes; French Speaking Africa; Geographic Factors; Islands; Malthusianism; Mauritius; Natural Resources; Policy; Population; Population Dynamics; Population Policy; Population Pressure; Population Theory; Social Policy; Social Sciences