  Stochastic population and wealth trajectories for societies as functions of
fertility are modeled with a minimal, endogenous model of a simple foraging
economy. The model is scaled to match human lifespans and overall death rates.
Stochastic population instability at both the high and low ends of fertility
are considered. Lower population levels, caused by low fertility, generate
concerns on economic growth, military security, and international political
power; while also seen by some as reducing ecological and environmental damage.
The model shows that increasingly low fertility leads to both higher wealth and
lower population levels. As society is encouraged by increasing per capita
wealth to continue to decrease fertility, dangerous population regimes are
reached where stochastic extinction becomes more and more likely.
