Economics of an Aging Society

Robert L. Clark is Professor of Economics at North Carolina State University. Richard V. Burkhauser is the Sarah Gibson Blanding Professor of Policy Analysis and Chair of the Department of Policy Analysis and Management in the College of Human Ecology, Cornell University. Marilyn Moon is Vice President and Director of Health at the American Institutes for Research. Joseph F. Quinn is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College.Timothy M. Smeeding is Maxwell Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Syracuse University.

"A very well balanced appraisal of the enormous benefits as well as the real challenges facing the United States and our social insurance programs in the twenty-first century. This excellent text will help both students and policy makers to be better informed about the economics of population aging as well as the direct and indirect consequences of alternative actions." Kenneth Apfel, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas "The Economics of an Aging Society should be required reading in any economics or policy course for gerontology students. What is new and praiseworthy about the text is its melding of economic and policy analyses. The reader is given the context and models to understand the economic choices that governments, firms, and individuals must make in an aging society. The book is ultimately empowering." Charles Longino, Wake Forest University "A valuable new contribution to the understanding of current economic challenges and responsive policy options facing aging societies. The authors provide useful illustrations of how economic data are used in evaluating policy options, addressing complex issues such as retirement, income maintenance, social security, and health care." George L. Maddox, Duke University Center for Aging "This book is a useful compendium that addresses the problems of financing and providing care for a growing elderly population in the US. Although the authors intended this book to be used as a textbook, individual chapters might serve as supplemental reading for courses that cover more targeted topics, such as poverty, social insurance, or healthcare. The book would also be a useful addition to a reference collection on programs available to the elderly in the US." Lois B. Shaw, Feminist Economics

• List of Figures. List of Tables.Acknowledgments.1. Introduction.Part I: Population Aging and the Income of the Elderly.2. The Graying of America and the World.3. The Economic Well-being of Older Americans.Part II: Retirement Planning and Policies.4. Economics of Retirement and Old Age.5. Work and Retirement.6. Retirement Policies and Pension Plans.Part III: Social Security Programs and Reforms.7. Social Security Benefits and Program Objectives: An Individual Perspectives.8. Social Security Financing and Reform Issues.9. Disability Policy.Part IV: Health and Long Term Care for Older Persons.10. The Financing and Delivery of Acute Health Care Services.11. Additional Health Issues: Long Term Care.Index.