Unit 1: Changing population

Unit 1: Changing population

1. Population and economic development patterns

• How population varies between places

• Physical and human factors affecting population distribution at the global scale

• Global patterns and classification of economic development: low-income countries; middle-income countries and emerging economies; high-income countries

• Population distribution and economic development at the national scale, including voluntary internal migration, core-periphery patterns and megacity growth

• Two detailed and contrasting examples of uneven population distribution

• The relative importance of different influences on where people live and spatial interactions between places at varying scales

2. Changing populations and places

• Processes of population change and their effect on people and places

• Population change and demographic transition over time, including natural increase, fertility rate, life expectancy, population structure and dependency ratios

• Detailed examples of two or more contrasting countries

• The consequences of megacity growth for individuals and societies

• One case study of a contemporary megacity experiencing rapid growth

• The causes and consequences of forced migration and internal displacement

• Detailed examples of two or more forced movements, to include environmental and political push factors, and consequences for people and places

• How the impacts of population change and spatial interactions between places can be categorized and represented graphically

3. Challenges and opportunities

• Population possibilities and power over the decision-making process

• Global and regional/continental trends in family size, sex ratios, and ageing/greying

• Policies associated with managing population change, focusing on: policies related to ageing societies; pro-natalist or anti-natalist policies; gender equality policies and anti-trafficking policies

• The demographic dividend and the ways in which population could be considered a resource when contemplating possible futures

• One case study of a country benefiting from a demographic dividend

• How population change may affect the power balance between groups of people at local, national and international scales