Aging Aging Populations And Welfare

As the United States and the rest of the world face the unprecedented challenge of aging populations, this volume draws together for the first time state-of-the-art work from the emerging field of the demography of aging. The nine chapters, written by experts from a variety of disciplines, highlight data sources and research approaches, results, and proposed strategies on a topic with major policy implications for labor forces, economic well-being, health care, and the need for social and family supports.

Almost 25 years have passed since the Demography of Aging (1994) was published by the National Research Council. Future Directions for the Demography of Aging is, in many ways, the successor to that original volume. The Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to produce an authoritative guide to new directions in demography of aging. The papers published in this report were originally presented and discussed at a public workshop held in Washington, D.C., August 17-18, 2017. The workshop discussion made evident that major new advances had been made in the last two decades, but also that new trends and research directions have emerged that call for innovative conceptual, design, and measurement approaches. The report reviews these recent trends and also discusses future directions for research on a range of topics that are central to current research in the demography of aging. Looking back over the past two decades of demography of aging research shows remarkable advances in our understanding of the health and well-being of the older population. Equally exciting is that this report sets the stage for the next two decades of innovative researchâ€"a period of rapid growth in the older American population.

"This book brings an innovative conceptual framework of analysis that can be transferred to other areas of social politics or public policies at large."--BOOK JACKET.

In recent years, Japan and Germany have been facing very similar challenges: aging populations, changing employment structures, long-lasting economic stagnation, and globalization, all of which threaten existing social security arrangements. Both countries are in a number of respects more socially and politically regulated, and in this sense less liberal, than the Anglo-American economies. Nonetheless, during the last couple of years several important social policy reforms have been implemented. A comparison of these reforms may provide valuable insights into the changing character of "conservative" welfare states. This volume concentrates on two fields of social policy: long-term care insurance and public pensions. These social insurances are at the center of current public debate in both countries because population aging translates immediately into a higher demand for care for the elderly and old age security. The contributions range from demographic and policy implications of aging through detailed analyses on the different reform measures to specific aspects such as bioethical or regional policy considerations. The volume is intended not only for experts specializing in social policy research but also for policy makers as well as the general reader interested in the current debates centering on the "restructuring of the welfare state".

The global aging population is growing rapidly; between 2015-2030 the number of persons 60 and older will increase by 56%, those 80 and older will triple between 2015-2050. The majority of the global aging populations live in developed nations which are established welfare states with historically developed healthcare and pension policies. Developed nations are experiencing similar projections in aging populous and facing the same barriers: Why is aging so different in these countries? Using the political theories found in Gøsta Esping-Andersen's The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, this manuscript will compare the outcomes of historic public policies of the U.S. and Denmark. The objective of this paper is to address the similarities of the U.S. and Denmark as it pertains to aging census, GDP, GDP per capita, tax rates, and medical expenditures on the aging population. A review and comparison of each country's acute healthcare policies and long term care policies will provide the basis for a projection of the impact on their aging population as a result of these policies.

This book integrates the economics of aging and insight based on political economy and explores generational conflict in the context of governmental spending. This problem is general, as the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted: lockdowns protect the elderly, but hurt the young. Policies to address global warming impose taxes on the elderly, but would bring benefits largely in the future. This book addresses intergenerational problems by placing its focus on budget allocation, taxation, and regulation. By using Japanese and US data, the authors conduct statistical analysis of whether regions with aging populations may adopt policies that generate benefits during a short period of time instead of policies that could benefit current young generations for an extended period of time. If the policy preferences of voters depend on their age, and if policy adoption by a government reflects public opinion, the change in demographic composition in a region may affect governmental policies. In an aged society, the elderly are pivotal voters. Budgets may be reallocated from policies favored by younger generations, such as education, to policies the elderly prefer, such as welfare programs. This generates an intergenerational externality problem: voters with short life expectancy do not take into consideration long-term benefits. Moreover, the current tax bases may be replaced by other tax bases that do not harm the elderly. The results reported in the book largely support these hypotheses. Evidence also shows that the gender and racial composition and institutional factors, including the extent of fiscal decentralization, are important in anticipating effects of population aging in other countries.

An analysis of the welfare state from a political economy perspective that examines the effects of aging populations, migration, and globalization on industrialized economies. In The Decline of the Welfare State, Assaf Razin and Efraim Sadka use a political economy framework to analyze the effects of aging populations, migration, and globalization on the deteriorating system of financing welfare state benefits as we know them. Their timely analysis, supported by a unified theoretical framework and empirical findings, demonstrates how the combined forces of demographic change and globalization will make it impossible for the welfare state to maintain itself on its present scale. In much of the developed world, the proportion of the population aged 60 and over is expected to rise dramatically over the coming years—from 35 percent in 2000 to a projected 66 percent in 2050 in the European Union and from 27 percent to 47 percent in the United States—which may necessitate higher tax burdens and greater public debt to maintain national pension systems at current levels. Low-skill migration produces additional strains on welfare-state financing because such migrants typically receive benefits that exceed what they pay in taxes. Higher capital taxation, which could potentially be used to finance welfare benefits, is made unlikely by international tax competition brought about by globalization of the capital market. Applying a political economy model and drawing on empirical data from the EU and the United States, the authors draw an unconventional and provocative conclusion from these developments. They argue that the political pressure from both aging and migrant populations indirectly generates political processes that favor trimming rather than expanding the welfare state. The combined pressures of aging, migration, and globalization will shift the balance of political power and generate public support from the majority of the voting population for cutting back traditional welfare state benefits.

In sub-Saharan Africa, older people make up a relatively small fraction of the total population and are supported primarily by family and other kinship networks. They have traditionally been viewed as repositories of information and wisdom, and are critical pillars of the community but as the HIV/AIDS pandemic destroys family systems, the elderly increasingly have to deal with the loss of their own support while absorbing the additional responsibilities of caring for their orphaned grandchildren. Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa explores ways to promote U.S. research interests and to augment the sub-Saharan governments' capacity to address the many challenges posed by population aging. Five major themes are explored in the book such as the need for a basic definition of "older person," the need for national governments to invest more in basic research and the coordination of data collection across countries, and the need for improved dialogue between local researchers and policy makers. This book makes three major recommendations: 1) the development of a research agenda 2) enhancing research opportunity and implementation and 3) the translation of research findings.

Special Aging Populations and Systems Linkages educates professionals working in geriatric settings about the needs and issues of several emerging special groups within today's aging population. It gives readers examples, guidelines, and a theoretical framework for developing successful linkages between aging and non-aging service systems to meet the service needs of these special populations. By exploring the challenges and barriers faced by service systems attempting to work together, Special Aging Populations and Systems Linkages provides a blueprint to those working with cross-system interest groups, task forces, and councils. The book informs readers of the epidemiology, issues, and concerns of some specific populations of older persons including: persons with developmental disabilities alcohol and substance abusers cancer patients persons with HIV/AIDS the abused elderly older caregivers Chapters in this timely book provide treatment experiences with these special populations and with linking systems as case histories for the professional. These case histories help social workers understand the needs of special older people with whom they work and facilitate negotiations among service systems and agencies so that older people facing special challenges secure the help they and their families need. Special Aging Populations and Systems Linkages asserts the absolute imperative for social workers and other geriatric professionals to understand the subpopulations which make up the 65-plus cohort in the U.S. and fosters creative thinking about service organization and practice issues generated by the diversity of this population. Students at all levels of gerontology programs; staff in the aging network (service personnel, administrators, and senior center directors); community service personnel; staff of Area Agencies on Aging; social workers in geriatric health care settings; public health educators; and social workers in service agencies for each of the special populations--mental retardation/developmental disabilities, cancer care, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, adult protective services, child welfare--can refer to Special Aging Populations and Systems Linkages for insight time and again as they strive to meet the diverse needs of the entire aging population.