Final answer:
Income per worker best represents economic development during the Malthusian epoch as it reflects productivity and financial growth, directly influencing birth rates and urbanization, two critical facets of the demographic and economic development process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question which measure best represents economic development during the Malthusian epoch can be addressed by understanding the historical context of the Malthusian theory and the demographic transition model. Thomas Malthus, a British economist, theorized that populations grow geometrically while food supply increases arithmetically, leading to inevitable poverty without checks on population growth such as war, famine, and disease. However, the demographic transition model and historical trends suggest that with economic development, death rates fall and subsequently birth rates decline as economic security increases and educational levels rise, especially among women.
Urbanization rates are a useful indicator of economic development because as nations industrialize, people migrate to cities for work, leading to higher living standards and a reduction in family size, illustrating a move through the stages of economic development. Similarly, income per worker can indicate economic advancement as it reflects productivity and salary growth. Nonetheless, years of education, especially for women, have been closely linked to declining birth rates and economic advancement due to increased opportunities and reduced infant mortality rates encouraging smaller family sizes.
Therefore, considering the aforementioned points, income per worker may best represent economic development during the Malthusian epoch, as it showcases the financial growth of a society which in turn influences birth rates and urbanization – key components of the demographic and economic development process.