The graph provided above depicts labour force participation by gender across different income groups. It is evident that male participation is exceeding that of women across all income groups and by a large margin in the middle income brackets. The current government, in consultation with Malagasy citizens and with the help of multilateral institutions and international donors, has put together an ambitious plan, the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP), which, complemented by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), is designed to put the economy on a solid path toward sustainable growth and poverty reduction. After years of political instability and economic stagnation, recent political and economic progress and the MAP process provide a basis for optimism about medium-term economic prospects for the Malagasy economy and people. All this goes to prove that the current economic scenario further explains the reasoning behind Madagascar’s position in the demographic transition model. 2. Politics Taking a look at Madagascar’s history, the Merina dynasty united all the people living on the island. 90% of the people in Madagascar are Malagasy and there are 20 ethnic groups in Madagascar today. The Merina rulers of Madagascar welcomed the English missionaries and soon the island had converted to the Christian faith. The missionaries influenced the people to create schools, medical centers and industry. The Malagasy people believed that their embrace of Christianity and modernity would save them from colonialism. Unfortunately, they did not realize that the version of European Christianity they had been introduced to was used to further the goals of the imperialists. In 1884, the French army launched their attack on the Malagasy people to expand the French empire; the war ended in a stalem>