Abstract

Perception of Thomas Robert Malthus' (1766-1834) works in political science and economics is often limited to his allegedly cynical demographic theory. Nevertheless, his contributions to political economy demonstrate original ideas which still may serve as an important starting point for reasoning about socioeconomic development. Combining his demographic theory with his economic model and his view of society, in particular, reveals quite modern aspects of business cycle theories and active fiscal policy concepts but also of public education and environmental policies or conflict management. This paper gives a concise overview of Malthus' theory of socioeconomic crises and possible policy responses to them, assesses its importance for political economy, and hints at some current "Malthusian" issues like international resource conflicts.