ObTrav: Marc long ago recognized increasing population was inversely correlated to democratic and limited legal/police presence as scarcity led to authoritarian rule (world gen, CT).
I think baking a subjective view into the game rules and background is a bit different from "recognizing" some "natural truth." There are plenty of examples of places around the world today--and historically in just the last several decades--where this obviously isn't the case.
Cheers,
David
--
"You had a wonderful civilization here. . . . You could have made almost anything of it. But it's too late now. You've torn down the gates; the barbarians are in." - Lucas Trask (H. Beam Piper), ~Space Viking~