Should America Triple Its Population?

Matthew Yglesias makes a bold argument in his book, One Billion Americans: for America to remain a superpower, it needs to triple its population of 330 million to 1 billion. Here's why he thinks this will be a net positive for the US👇👇👇

Economic growth has been tied with population growth throughout history. More people means more labor, more entrepreneurial activity, and new ideas to increase economic productivity.

Diminishing influence: China, with the weight of a massive population behind it, is influencing Hollywood movies, what American CEOs can say in public, and what American universities can teach. America can reclaim some of this power through a bigger population.

There's enough space for all the people. Suffering - and now emptied - cities like Detroit and Philadelphia were doing better when they had more people. Also, the U.S. has plenty of space - the Lower 48 with 1 billion people would still have lesser density than France.

Unlikely to reduce quality of life. Population density comes with many benefits. The concentration of talent can bring about business investment, innovation and specialization. Ecosystems will develop - communities need shops, restaurants, cleaners.

What about housing and traffic? Yglesias says taller and more efficient buildings will match the increasing demand for housing. Congestion pricing and European-style public transportation might go a long way in moving people around more efficiently.

In 2015, the average American woman had 1.8 children - but the desired number was 2.7. With better financial incentives and family welfare policies, governments can encourage people's pent up desire for more kids to better express itself.

Critic Hymowitz has pointed out that European countries with better welfare policies than the U.S. have lower fertility rates than the US. Therefore, there is more to the population puzzle than mere economic factors.

Yglesias wants greater immigration to boost U.S. population, but Hymowitz points out this will further disintegrate America’s sense of unity. Commonly held values and goals are key to social cohesion - and rapid immigration makes this cohesion hard to maintain.

Bottom line: A larger population pays off in the form of a bigger labor force, greater growth, and a rejuvenation of depopulated American cities. But increasing the population isn’t as easy as providing the right incentives, & unchecked immigration brings its own problems.