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Land utilisation

  LAND UTILIZATION  Land is a scarce resource, whose supply is fixed for all practical purposes. At the same time, the demand for land for various competing purposes is continuously increasing with the increase in human population and economic growth.Land use pattern at any given time is determined by several factors including size of human and livestock population, the demand pattern, the technology in use, the cultural traditions, the location and capability of land, institutional factors like ownership pattern and rights scale regulation. Major Types of Land Utilization in India : As in all other countries, land in India is put to various uses. The utilization of land depends upon physical factors like topography, soil and climate as well as upon human factors such as the density of population, duration of occupation of the area,land tenure and technical levels of the people.There are spatial and temporal difference in land utilization due to the continued interplay of phys...
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DEFINITION OF ECONOMICS BY ROBBINS

ROBBINS DEFINITION OF SCARCITY OF RESOURCES
Introduction
Lord Robbins gave his scarcity of resources definition in his book "An Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science" published in 1932. According to him, "economics is the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses".
Central idea of the definition
Lord Robbins' definition is based on a number of facts of life :
a) wants are limited.
b) means to satisfy human wants are limited.
c)means can be put to different uses.
d)the problem of choice of using limited means to satisfy unlimited wants.
Much of man's economic activity is moving around the problem of scarcity of choice .This is the Central idea of the Robbins definition.
Features of the definition
a)Unlimited wants : Robbins calls wants as the ends which can be either economic or non economic type . Economic ends are unlimited . It is impossible to satisfy all of man's wants and thus they can be satisfied separately.
b)Limited means : Most of the means which can satisfy human wants are limited . Man's wants are unlimited and resources available to them are scarce. 
c) Means have alternative uses: According to Lord Robbins , important reason for existence of economic problem is alternative uses of resources. Man is always faced with the problem of allocation of limited resources.
d)Problem of choice: The choice making is an economic activity . Every man is faced with the scarcity of means and it forces one to make a choice in his present and future satisfaction of wants .
Merits of the definition
a)Status of positive science:Robbins tried to make economic a more exact science. He wanted the subject to be positive science,that is,a science which has nothing to do with the goodness or bad nature of the ends. He wanted to study all economic activities without bringing in welfare.
b)An analytical definition:Robbins definition has made study of economics analytical. He provided the reasons for the study of economic problem which is the problem of scarcity.
c)Clear conception of human behaviour: Robbins also gave clearer view of what human behaviour economists are interested in. He told us that it is human behaviour for choice between ends and means.
d)Clear scope of economics:This definition has limited the scope of economics. An economic study is called for a choice of problem that arises due to resources being scarce or wants being more.
e)Universal definition : Robbins' definition is applicable everywhere. It is concerned with unlimited wants and limited resources which is the problem facing every country. Whether an economy is capitalist or socialist ,the problem everywhere is the same.
Criticism of the definition
a)Hazy scope of economics : Robbins laid down in general terms the subject matter of economics.The choice here is so wide that economics alone cannot solve the problem . To what is economics concerned is just not clear in Robbins' definition .
b) Economics as positive science an ineffective attempt: Critics have charged Robbins with trying in vain to make economics a positive science.Prof Pigou also observed that Economics must be a problem solving science .It is as much as an art as it is science .
c)Impractical definition : According to Robbins ,Economics is merely a theoretical exercise. But all practical men of affairs are interested in a science only if it can solve humanity's problem.This is particularly true of economics.
d)Not applicable to rich countries : Economic problems of some of very rich countries may be due to plentiful incomes rather than scarcity.
e)Static economy:Prof Robbins believes that means and ends are easily separable. But practical life does not make any such separation always . As a man wants to progress ,he aims at particular means to open up some opportunities in later life.Thus ,Robbins' definition is related to a static economy.

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