In China, the one child policy has been implemented since 1979, but sociologists had no idea what kind of consequences it could have in the future. Nowadays, there have been a couple generations who have been affected by this policy, and the outcome is what people are calling "little emperors."
"Little Emperors" are the only children in families where they have the full and constant attention, both emotionally and financially, of their parents and grandparents. They have the full attention of their grandparents as well as their parents because their parents were only children as well. It is obvious how the one child policy in the People's Republic of China could act as an incubator for these "little emperors" because generation after generation of sibling-less kids are waited on hand and foot by their elders.
This could be a good thing for China or a very bad thing. In terms of economics, it could be positive since these children have n enormous amount of spending power in comparison to previous generations. These "little emperors" have the financial backing of both their parents and their grandparents who naturally want the best for their baby. This means increased spending which could be good for the Chinese economy, and, with a large population with an increasing spending power, the Chinese GDP will likely rise steadily in the years to come. However, this could also be a bad thing for China because the "little emperors" are used to getting their way and feel entitled to everything they had and more. This would not be good for international relations or international business because these grown "emperors" would not want to negotiate; they would want everything to be done their way which would force positional bargaining and would not be effective in any branch of negotiations. Also, this could cause internal problems because if everyone wants to spend, spend, spend without wanting to work, work, work, China will see exactly what an uncontrolled credit situation can do to a large economy (a.k.a. America's current problem).
In the end, the parents and grandparents just want a better life for their children since most had to live in poverty. This is especially true for those who had to live through the "cultural revolution" of Mao Zedong where he re-educated the intellectuals, who were harder to control, by forcing them to work in the fields. The unforeseen consequences of the "little emperors" are bound to be shaping the future of China for generations to come even if the one child policy were eliminated. Whether they are positive or negative consequences, nobody knows, but one thing is certain - these "little emperors" will rule China in 25 years.
