Throughout the world, policy makers are concerned about the impact that population aging will have on the financial security of households and nations. Key questions include: (1) are the aging, and soon to be aged populations, adequately preparing for old age? and (2) how does financial...

The present study first examines the trends in age structural shifts in selected Asian economies over the period 1950–2050 and analyzes their impact on economic growth in terms of the first and second demographic dividends computed from the system of National Transfer Accounts. Then, using the...

Asia as a whole is experiencing a rapid demographic transition toward older populations, though different countries are at different stages of this region wide trend. We document Asia's aging population, describe the region's old-age support systems, and highlight the regional socioeconomic...

This paper presents an assessment of the overall economic impact of ageing for the EU Member States. It draws upon the macroeconomic assumptions developed by the Ageing Working Group attached to the Economic Policy Committee and the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs for the...

Differences in the economic lifecycle between countries at different levels of development suggest that there may be differences between sub-populations within countries, particularly where the sub-populations have different levels of income. Given stark inequalities by race in South Africa,...

When the challenges of population aging are being debated, the uncertain future of pension systems is a topic of high priority and large controversy. The aim of this chapter is not to provide a “consensus view” on social security and public insurance in aging populations but to put structure...

During the next few decades the populations of most developed countries will grow older and older as a result of the low fertility rates since the 1970s and/or the continuously increasing life expectancy. Poland, one of the biggest countries in Central Europe, will be confronted rather seriously...

Unexpected longevity can bring economic hardship to the elderly and affect the young through intergenerational policies. This paper studies the dynamic effects of longevity on policies and fertility, distinguishing between those of expected and unexpected longevity gains. In an...

Paul Samuelson made a series of important contributions to population theory for humans and other species, evolutionary theory, and the theory of age structured life cycles in economic equilibrium and growth. The work is highly abstract but much of it was intended to illuminate issues of...

With the aging of populations, particularly in more developed countries, retirees are becoming a politically influential group. Government budgets have been feeling the strain on social insurance, health care, and other programs that benefit the elderly. Yet spending on these programs has often...