The FT columnist, Simon Kuper, recently announced that Holland was full and that no more economic growth there was even possible.
Dutch provincial authorities have authorised the use of paintballs to scare wolves they say have grown so unafraid of humans that they could become a serious danger.
“We’re dealing with wolves that have become too tame,” a spokesperson for Gelderland province in the eastern Netherlands told the broadcaster Omroep Gelderland. “We have to make them frightened of people again.”
Yes, I’m aware that Netherlands and Holland are not, in fact, the same place. But still, the idea that a place with enough room for wild wolves is full of humanity with no space or any more is a bit odd, no?
This is also why people think Netherlands has great public transport. Because everywhere you’d want to go is in one bit – Holland.
Very true, BoM4. Because I’ve travelled mostly in the east of the country, my Netherlands is a country of hills & valleys & scattered towns & villages. Fields & woodlands. Much like France, Belgium or Germany.
Simon Kuper always has been a bit of a tit, though, hasn’t he?
Netherlands and Holland are not, in fact, the same place
Lies. “Holland” is just the Netherlands’ disguise when they’re buying weed.
Lions give up too easily. Wolves are remorseless. We need them to hunt down environmentalists, central bankers and, well, anyone I disagree with.
I’ve told my niece who lives near Eindhoven.
She’s tooling up as we speak.
Woofs haven’t been spotted so far around Eindhoven, Otto.
There has been one spotted in the vicinity of Breda, though. So if she’s feeling frisky… 😉
And honestly.. I don’t know which idiot came up with the plan to scare the woofs, but so far they are only mildly uninterested in us loud monkeys.
Teach them to “fear” us, and next whelping season will be Fun…
TL;DR. How does population density reduce economic growth? Increasing population density beyond the optimum reduces well being, which tends to inhibit economic growth. But, of itself, population density doesn’t reduce economic growth. It depends who is in that increasing population density – losers or wealth creators.
Meanwhile, a reduction in imported labour has resulted in an increase in productivity. Yet British business (eg hospitality) still wants to import cheap, young and biddable employees, rather than employ older, British, more expensive staff, or invest in automation, training, better managemen, etc. And England is hugely over-crowded…
Hong Kong’s urban areas are packed like sardines, but I don’t remember any economic problems when I lived there, in my 160sqft flat.
Population density tends to increase growth due to economies of agglomeration
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economies_of_agglomeration
Basic idea is that cities bring together people/resources that can make stuff happen if they work together, but if they were spread out over a lower density area the same opportunities would be missed. Related to network effects.